2121731 

I 'SULTANS  RIVAL 


BRADLEY  OILMAN 


THE  SULTAN'S  RIVAL 


.  Or  CALl*.  U»*AHY.  LOS 


"  I  '11  warrant  that  the  air  is  fairly  blue  all  around  those  two 
lovely  creatures,"  was  Bob's  facetious  comment 

See  page  165 


THE  SULTAN'S  RIVAL 


A  STORY  FOR  BOYS 


BY 


BRADLEY   OILMAN 

AUTHOR    OF    "THE    SON    OF  THE    DESERT,"    ETC. 


WITH    ILLUSTRATIONS    BY 
JOHN   CASSEL 


BOSTON 

SMALL,   MAYNARD    AND    COMPANY 
PUBLISHERS 


COPYRIGHT,   1911 

BY  SMALL,  MAYNARD  AND  COMPANY 
(INCORPORATED) 


THE    UNIVERSITY    PRESS,    CAMBRIDGE,    U.  S.  A. 

M  y.dor  ?;i  /M( 

. 


Stack 
Annex 


3513 


CONTENTS 

CHAPTER  PAGE 

I  THE  MYSTERIOUS  STRANGER     .....  i 

II   ENTRAPPED    ............  13 

III  A  VOICE  FROM  THE  DARKNESS  .....  24 

IV  THE  OWNER  OF  THE  VOICE   ......  38 

V   IN  DANGER  OF  DEATH  ........  47 

VI   IN  PERIL  AT  CAPE  GHIR   .......  59 

VII   THE  TIDAL  WAVE     .........  72 

VIII   TRUMP  SAVES  His  MASTER  ......  83 

IX   CAPTIVES  IN  THE  DESERT     ......  96 

X  ADVANCE  AND  ATTACK  ........  104 

XI  THE  MARAUDERS  BEATEN  OFF  .....  123 

XII   ESCAPE  —  OR  DEATH     ........  133 

XIII  A  DOUBLE  DUEL  ..........  149 

XIV  A  GHASTLY  DISCOVERY     .......  159 

XV   AN  ADDITION  TO  THE  PARTY     .....  177 

XVI   THE  REKKAH  AND  His  MESSAGE  ....  186 

XVII   A  DESERT  SCOURGE  .........  207 

XVIII   ENTERING  THE  LION'S  DEN  ......  219 

XIX  THE  WILES  OF  THE  KHEDIVE    .....  235 

XX   A  MESSAGE  CONVEYED     .......  247 

XXI   AN  INSIDIOUS  ENEMY    ........  262 

XXII   A  BATTLE  IN  THE  AIR  ........  275 

XXIII   A  LIFE  FOR  A  STAKE     ........  292 

....  303 


2129739 


ILLUSTRATIONS 

"  I'll  warrant  that  the  air  is  fairly  blue  all  around  those 
two  lovely  creatures,"  was  Bob's  facetious  com 
ment  Frontispiece 

PAGE 
Bob  returned  the  salute  somewhat  coldly,  and  uttered 

a  brief,  "  The  same  to  you,  sir  " 52 

"You   shall  swear   allegiance  to  me  here  and  now, 

or " 106 

A  toothless,  cruel-looking  old  hag  now  took  charge  of 

the  boys 158 

Sheikh  Abdul  stepped  outside  the  line  of  camels,  and 

advanced  slowly  toward  him 214 

It  came  to  him  as  the  voice  of  a  djinn 274 


THE  SULTAN'S  RIVAL 

CHAPTER   I 

THE    MYSTERIOUS    STRANGER 

If  Bob  Laurie  had  not  gone  to  Cadiz,  in 
Spain,  the  series  of  adventures  which  will  be 
set  forth  in  this  narrative  would  not  have  hap 
pened  to  him.  But  Bob  had  come  over  to 
Europe  —  from  Boston  —  for  a  month's  va 
cation,  after  passing  a  part  of  his  entrance  ex 
aminations  for  Harvard  College;  and  a  letter 
from  his  friend  and  chum,  Ted  Leslie,  found 
him  at  the  Alameda  Hotel,  in  Madrid.  This 
letter  said  that  Ted  had  returned  from  his  dan 
gerous  journey  to  Fez,  in  Morocco,  and  would 
meet  Bob  in  Gibraltar.  But  when  Bob  reached 
that  fortress-city  of  the  Strait,  Ted  had  been 
summoned  to  Marseilles  by  his  anxious  father ; 
and  both  father  and  son  would  return  to  Gi 
braltar  in  about  a  week. 

i 


THE    SULTAN'S    RIVAL 

This  failure  to  meet  Ted  gave  Bob  several 
days  to  fill  up  with  sight-seeing.  He  "  did  " 
Gibraltar,  and  Algeciras,  and  one  or  two  out 
lying  towns  in  Spain;  and  then,  one  day,  he 
packed  a  small  grip  and  took  the  steamer  for 
Cadiz,  forty  miles  west  along  the  Spanish 
coast.  And  he  is  presented  to  the  reader,  soon 
after  he  landed,  standing  on  the  dock  at  Cadiz, 
looking  about  him. 

Bob  was  a  strongly-built  lad  of  about  seven 
teen,  who  had  known  many  serious  adventures 
in  his  time,  and  had  borne  himself  bravely  and 
faithfully  in  them  all.  He  was  now  gazing 
intelligently  and  quietly  about  him,  noting  the 
great  varieties  of  dress  and  speech  of  the 
people,  —  Spanish  sailors  and  soldiers,  a  few 
Moors,  and  a  sprinkling  of  English  and  Ameri 
cans,  —  when  he  observed  two  men  advancing 
along  the  pier  from  the  Puerta  de  la  Mar 
(Sea  Gate). 

One  of  these  men  attracted  his  attention  at 
once,  by  his  dress  and  manner.  He  was  a  tall, 
gaunt  man,  with  a  beak-like  nose,  and  with  a 

2 


THE    MYSTERIOUS    STRANGER 

huge,  black  moustache  which  he  twirled  con 
tinually.  A  broad-brimmed  hat  with  a  tiny 
red  feather  was  carried  rakishly  on  one  side  of 
his  head;  he  wore  a  dark  velveteen  suit  with 
brass  buttons,  and  a  scarlet  sash  showed  around 
his  waist  under  his  loose  coat.  A  pair  of  long 
cavalry  boots,  with  spurs,  completed  his  outfit, 
and  his  appearance  was  out-of-date  and  fan 
tastic. 

He  came  nearer  to  Bob  —  the  tall,  awkward- 
looking  young  man  with  him  falling  back  a 
little  —  and  accosted  the  lad  in  fairly  good 
English,  though  with  a  slightly  foreign  accent. 
"  A  pleasant  day  and  a  hearty  greeting  to  the 
young  English  gentleman."  And,  as  he  spoke, 
he  swung  his  right  hand  half  way  to  his  hat, 
in  military  fashion. 

Bob  Laurie  had  seen  too  much  of  the  world 
to  take  up  with  every  smooth-voiced  stranger 
who  came  along;  and  he  returned  the  salute 
somewhat  coldly,  and  uttered  a  brief,  "  The 
same  to  you,  sir." 

"A  bright,  pleasant  day  it  is,  to  be  sure," 
3 


THE    SULTAN'S    RIVAL 

continued  the  man,  affably.  "  Brighter  than 
you  often  have  in  England,  I  know."  And  his 
lips  parted  in  a  smile  which  had  little  warmth 
in  it. 

Bob  saw  that  the  easy-speaking  stranger  had 
mistaken  him  for  an  English  lad,  but  he  did 
not  care  to  correct  the  mistake;  he  merely  re 
joined,  "  England  is  a  pretty  good  place  to 
live  in,  for  all  that." 

Then  the  man  threw  back  his  head  and 
laughed,  noisily  more  than  mirthfully.  "  That 's 
right,  my  lad,"  he  exclaimed.  "  Stand  up  for 
old  England !  Britannia  rules  the  wave !  "  And 
he  laid  a  hand  on  Bob's  shoulder  in  what 
was  intended  to  be  a  friendly  fashion;  but 
Bob  thought  it  too  familiar,  on  so  short  an 
acquaintance,  and  moved  back,  out  from 
under  it. 

This  cool  reception  of  his  advances  did  not 
seem  to  annoy  the  effusive,  talkative  man,  and 
he  continued,  looking  now  at  Bob  and  now 
around  upon  the  busy  scenes  of  the  dock :  "  I 
like  the  English.  I  'm  not  English  myself,  of 

4 


THE    MYSTERIOUS    STRANGER 

course.  I  'm  —  I'm  —  well  I  'm  a  man  of  the 
world,  a  soldier  of  fortune.  But  I  like  the 
English,  you  can  always  depend  on  them. 
'  England  expects  every  man  to  do  his  duty/ 
and  all  that;  you  know  Nelson's  saying." 

Bob  eyed  the  man  narrowly,  puzzled  to  make 
him  out.  There  was  a  careless  and  confident 
air  about  him,  a  showy,  vain  manner,  all  of 
which  our  sensible  young  friend  distrusted. 
"  He  says,  in  a  glib  way,  that  he  's  a  man  of 
the  world,"  soliloquized  Bob.  "  But  I  wonder 
what  his  mother  and  father  had  to  say  about 
it.  He  looks  a  bit  like  a  Frenchman,  yet  might 
be  Spanish  or  Italian.  Probably  a  mixed 
blood  and  loyal  to  none." 

Certainly  the  lad  could  not  have  been  accused 
of  being  too  talkative,  thus  far  in  the  interview ; 
and  his  face  showed  plainly  the  distrust  he 
felt.  This  the  noisy,  showy  stranger  must 
have  noted :  for  he  said  next,  "  My  name 
is  —  well,  it  is  —  Smith.  Jean  Smith  [he  pro 
nounced  it  Smeeth],  at  your  service."  And  he 
took  off  his  military-looking  hat,  and  swept 

5 


THE    SULTAN'S    RIVAL 

it  in  a  semi-circle,  as  he  bowed  ceremoniously. 
Then  he  waited  for  the  lad  to  respond  by 
giving  his  name ;  and,  in  most  cases,  Bob  would 
have  done  so ;  but  in  this  case  he  merely  bowed, 
and  waited.  The  man  puzzled  him ;  he  seemed, 
at  one  moment,  honest  and  courteous;  then,  at 
the  next,  his  eyes  rolled  evasively  and  his  voice 
seemed  merely  plausible. 

'  You  come  for  to  study  this  land  of  the 
Spain  ? "  he  suggested,  now  speaking  more 
slowly,  and  as  if  trying  to  please  his  listener. 
"  It  is  a  beautiful  land,  and  this  a  beautiful 
and  busy  city;  not  busy  as  you  would  call  it 
in  London,  yet  busy.  And  its  ramparts  and 
bastions  protect  it  against  all  foes.  [Here  he 
swept  his  long  arm  around  toward  the  line 
of  fortifications.]  See,  here  on  these  docks, 
how  Spain  stretches  out  her  hands  to  the  world ; 
giving  and  receiving ;  here  are  sugar  and  coffee 
from  the  West  Indies,  and  coal  from  your  own 
England,  and  these  boxes  hold  cocoa,  and  those 
bales  contain  hemp  and  flax  and  linen.  Then 

that  steamer,  there,  bound  for  Liverpool;   see 

6 


THE    MYSTERIOUS    STRANGER 

how  she  swallows  up  her  cargo,  —  quick-silver 
and  oil  and  wool  and  wine.  Ah,  it  is  a  busy 
scene." 

He  spoke  rapidly,  and  in  a  strange,  exalted, 
oracular  tone,  with  much  neddless  emotion; 
in  fact,  it  seemed  to  Bob  that  he  was  a  very 
excitable  individual.  "  A  beautiful  city,  is 
Cadiz,"  the  singular  man  continued;  "yet  those 
houses  and  stones  and  palaces  over  there  are 
not  marble;  not  marble,  as  they  seem  to  be. 
They  are  only  common  stone  and  mortar,  with 
white-wash  freely  spread  on  each  year."  Then 
a  change  came  over  him  suddenly,  and  he  mut 
tered,  with  a  gloomy  air,  shaking  his  head, 
"  Ah,  you  cannot  always  be  sure  that  things 
are  what  they  seem  to  be:  this  is  a  world  of 
hollow  shows  and  shams." 

Bob  could  hardly  repress  a  smile  as  he  said 
to  himself,  "  Right  you  are,  old  chap,  and  you 
yourself  look  like  the  prize  sham  of  them  all." 
But  the  discreet  lad  gave  no  outward  sign  of 
his  train  of  thought,  and  he  now  made  as  if 
to  move  off ;  but  this  was  perceived  by  the  f  an- 

7 


THE    SULTAN'S    RIVAL 

tastic  stranger,  and  he  renewed  his  attempts 
to  make  himself  agreeable. 

"  I   know   this    region   very   well,  excellent 
young    Englishman,"    he    said,    bowing    and 
smiling.     "  So  that  if  you  care  to  view  the 
interesting  sights,  I  shall  be  most  happy  to  - 
to  —  " 

"  No,  no,  I  thank  you,"  broke  in  Bob ;  and 
he  said  to  himself:  "  Now  the  secret  is  out,  the 
man  is  only  a  professional  guide.  Why  did  n't 
I  think  of  that  before?"  Then  he  repeated 
aloud,  "  No,  I  'm  not  in  need  of  a  guide.  I  can 
see  all  I  care  to,  myself." 

The  stranger,  Jean  Smith,  drew  himself  up 
haughtily,  and  his  voice  was  cold  and  severe 
as  he  replied :  "  The  young  Englishman  makes 
himself  a  great  mistake,  he  is  not  addressing 
a  guide;  far  from  it;  the  man  who  offers  his 
services  does  it  not  for  money;  he  has  riches, 
already,  and  power ;  and  will  have  glory ;  yes, 
great  glory  and  fame." 

His  expression  was  stern  and  even  fierce  as 
he  spoke;  and  he  scowled,  and  for  a  moment 

8 


THE    MYSTERIOUS    STRANGER 

scorned  Bob  as  if  he  had  been  a  worm  crawling 
at  his  feet.  Then,  after  a  moment  or  two  more 
of  rather  awkward  silence  for  Bob,  the  strange 
man's  face  altered,  and  a  look  of  secretiveness 
and  of  caution  came  into  his  keen  eyes,  and  he 
lowered  his  voice,  glancing  around,  advanced 
a  step  nearer  the  perplexed  lad,  and  asked; 
'  Would  the  young  Englishman  like  to  gain 
riches,  and  share  in  the  glory  and  power  of 
a  -  '  here  he  leaned  forward  and  brought 
his  furrowed  face  and  piercing  eyes  close  to 
Bob's  countenance,  and  closed  his  remarkable 
question  with  the  one  word,  uttered  in  a  sharp 
breath-tone  —  "  king?  " 

'What?"  The  ejaculation  escaped  Bob's 
lips  before  he  could  restrain  it.  And  the  mani 
fest  astonishment  which  showed  on  his  frank, 
fearless  face  seemed  to  satisfy  and  gratify  the 
queer  man  who  had  aroused  it. 

He  drew  himself  up  with  great  dignity,  and 
nodded  silently,  slowly,  impressively. 

Bob  Laurie  eyed  the  singular  individual  with 
critical  eyes.    He  knew  that  kings  and  emper- 

9 


THE    SULTAN'S    RIVAL 

ors  sometimes  went  about  disguised;  but  he 
could  not  quite  swallow  the  suggestion  that  this 
man  was  any  such  exalted  personage. 

Then  an  idea  struck  him;  and  he  wondered 
it  had  not  struck  him  before;  the  man  must 
be  deranged;  he  must  be  an  insane  person; 
harmless  enough,  perhaps,  but  really  an  un 
balanced  man,  with  a  delusion;  such  as  people 
with  minds  diseased  often  cherish.  He  looked 
the  stranger  over,  afresh,  with  this  theory  in 
mind;  the  hat  and  its  feather,  the  clothes,  the 
scarlet  sash,  and,  worst  of  all,  the  top-boots 
with  their  spurs,  and  no  sign  of  a  horse  any 
where  —  "  Yes,"  Bob  said  to  himself,  "  the 
man  must  be  a  harmless  lunatic." 

Jean  Smith  certainly  read  his  thought,  for 
he  threw  his  head  back,  raised  his  hand  and 
forefinger  impressively,  and  spoke  as  if  im 
parting  valuable  information.  "  I  will  reveal 
to  the  excellent  young  Englishman  —  " 

By  this  time  our  young  friend  was  becom 
ing  impatient,  and  he  blurted  out  with  little 
ceremony:  "You're  wrong,  there.  I'm  not 

10 


an  Englishman ;  I  'm  from  the  United  States. 
I  'm  an  American,  always  and  everywhere." 

This  onslaught  somewhat  upset  the  man's 
pomp  and  ceremony.  He  coughed  a  dry  little 
cough  and  pulled  nervously  at  his  long,  fero 
cious  black  moustache.  But  he  quickly  gath 
ered  his  poise  and  responded,  "  Yes,  very  good. 
An  American,  then.  It  is  much  the  same  as  an 
Englishman ;  the  race  is  the  same,  and  the  same 
staunch  qualities  run  in  the  veins  of  both. 
Very  good.  Now  let  me  resume." 

He  was  evidently  about  to  proceed  with  his 
explanation  of  his  regal  status;  then  he  sud 
denly  changed  his  mind.  ''  I  said  '  A  king,' 
and  I  repeat  it,  '  A  king  I  am.'  But  I  will  not 
descend  to  unworthy  explanations;  I  will  leave 
them  to  another."  And  he  swung  around  and 
beckoned  the  lean,  tall,  mild-looking  young  fel 
low  who  had  been  with  him. 

"  Approach !  "  he  ordered,  in  a  grandiloquent 
way;  and  the  man  came  nearer,  pulling  off  his 
coster-monger  cap  from  his  head,  and  twitching 
feebly  at  a  lock  of  his  hair,  as  a  salute. 

ii 


THE    SULTAN'S    RIVAL 

"  Here !  I  present  to  you,  excellent  young 
Eng  —  I  mean,  American,  my  prime  minister, 
Lankester  Diggles.  It  is  more  fitting  that  he 
should  reveal  to  you  my  motives  and  mission, 
than  that  I  should  so  much  condescend.  Con 
verse  together.  I  will  return  to  you  anon." 
With  which  theatrical  declaration,  he  strode 
away  like  a  stage-hero,  head  in  air  and  spurs 
clanking. 


12 


CHAPTER   II 

ENTRAPPED 

Bob  Laurie  stared  hard  at  the  young  man 
Lankester  Diggles,  and  waited  for  him  to  begin. 
That  worthy  person  hitched  from  one  foot  to 
the  other,  followed  the  departing  "  King  "  with 
uneasy  glance,  and  then  broke  the  silence. 
"  He  's  not  always  as  mealy-mouthed  as  you  see 
him  to-day,  the  king  's  not.  He  —  ' 

"  What  do  you  mean  by  calling  him  a  king?  " 
interrupted  Bob.  "  He  does  n't  look  the  part." 

"  Well,  you  see,  it 's  this  way,"  resumed  the 
young  man,  hitching  up  his  already  short 
trousers,  and  speaking  in  brief,  broken  sen 
tences.  ;'  He  says  he  's  King  of  the  Sahara ; 
and  I  —  well,  I  think  that  perhaps  he  is.  Any 
how,  the  Khedive  of  Morocco  told  me,  in  Lon 
don,  that  he  was.  You  see,  the  Khedive  is  the 
younger  brother  of  the  present  Sultan,  and 
ought  to  be  on  the  throne,  so  he  said ;  and  —  " 

13 


THE    SULTAN'S    RIVAL 

"  Hold  on  there !  One  moment !  "  protested 
Bob  Laurie,  pushing  out  his  hand,  palm  out 
ward,  as  if  to  ward  off  a  torrent  which  threat 
ened  to  overwhelm  him.  "  Really,  I  can't  take 
in  all  that  stuff  at  a  breath.  '  King  of  the 
Sahara  '  and  '  Khedive  of  Morocco '  and  '  Sul 
tan  '  and  all  the  rest.  You  talk  as  lightly  and 
familiarly  as  if  you  were  giving  a  greengrocer 
a  list  of  goods.  Do  you  mean  to  say  that  the 
Khedive  of  Morocco  was  seen  by  you,  in  Lon 
don?" 

"  Yes,  that 's  what  I  said,"  was  the  young 
man's  somewhat  dogged  reply. 

"Where  did  you  see  him?"  asked  Bob, 
puzzled,  yet  struck  by  the  rough-looking  air 
of  sincerity. 

The  reply  was  given  promptly  and  clearly. 
"  In  London,  I  saw  him." 

"  H'm !  That 's  a  strange  place  for  the 
Khedive  of  Morocco  to  be  in.  Still,  he  might 
be  there,  I  dare  say.  When  did  all  this 
happen?  " 

"  About  three  weeks  ago,"  answered  Diggles, 
14 


ENTRAPPED 

readily;  and  he  waited  as  if  ready  to  give  all 
the  information  asked  for. 

"  H'm !  You  seem  to  be  telling  a  straight 
story,"  commented  Bob,  "  but  it  certainly  is  a 
rather  big  one."  Then  he  smiled  and  re 
marked:  "  How  about  the  Sultan  himself;  per 
haps  he  was  there,  too;  was  he?  " 

"  No,"  replied  Lankester  Biggies,  thought 
fully,  as  if  speaking  on  oath  from  a  witness- 
box,  and  as  if  the  Sultan  might  just  as  well 
have  been  there  as  not,  only  he  happened  not 
to  be. 

"  Well,  this  certainly  sounds  like  a  fairy 
tale,"  declared  Bob.  ;'  But  you  seem  to  believe 
it,  yourself." 

"  That  I  do,"  asserted  the  young  Britisher, 
sturdily,  as  if  he  realized  that  he  was  telling  a 
big  story,  but  was  obliged  to,  because  it  was 
true,  though  strange. 

"  And  what  was  that  about  the  Khedive  hav 
ing  a  right  to  the  throne  ? "  inquired  Bob, 
cross-questioning  like  a  lawyer  in  court. 

But  the  explanation  came  steadily  from  the 


THE    SULTAN'S    RIVAL 

lips  of  Lankester  Diggles,  although  he  twirled 
his  cap  nervously.  "  Yes,  the  Khedive  is  the 
younger  brother  of  the  present  Sultan,  Abdul 
II.  The  father,  Abdul  I,  probably  intended  the 
present  Sultan  to  succeed  him;  you  see,  the 
rule  in  Morocco  does  not  fall  to  the  oldest 
son,  as  in  Great  Britain,  but  the  Sultan,  before 
he  dies,  names  whichever  son  or  relative  he 
wishes  to  succeed  him.  In  this  case  Abdul  I, 
just  before  he  died,  said  to  one  of  his  slaves,  — 
and  others  heard  him,  — '  My  throne  is  to  go 
to  that  son  of  mine  who  is  now  playing  with 
my  golden-headed  staff  in  the  courtyard.'  So 
the  slaves  ran  to  the  door,  and  they  saw  the 
younger  of  the  sons  [the  present  Khedive] 
riding  astride  of  the  staff.  You  see,  the  old 
Sultan  had  just  noticed  the  oldest  boy  pass  the 
open  door  with  the  staff,  and  he  supposed  that 
the  boy  still  had  it;  but,  as  it  happened,  the 
younger  boy  had  just  taken  it  away  from  his 
brother;  and  so,  by  the  fixed  rule  and  custom 
of  Morocco,  the  younger  son,  this  Khedive, 
ought  to  be  Sultan." 

16 


ENTRAPPED 

It  was  quite  a  long  story  for  Diggles,  and  he 
knit  his  brow  and  compressed  his  lips,  as  he 
brought  it  out  in  short  sentences.  He  now 
paused;  and  Bob  reflectively  echoed  his  words, 
"  So  the  younger  boy  should  be  the  Sultan,  you 
say." 

"  Yes,  and  he  says  so,  himself;  the  Khedive 
says  that  the  slaves  revealed  nothing  of  this; 
but  let  his  brother,  as  the  real  heir,  take  the 
throne;  but  a  year  ago  they  told  the  Khedive 
the  fact  as  it  really  was ;  one  of  them  was  dying, 
or  something  of  that  sort,  I  believe.  They  are 
pretty  careful  how  they  talk  in  Morocco,  so 
the  Khedive  says." 

'  You  and  the  Khedive  seem  to  be  on  pretty 
intimate  terms,"  commented  Bob,  sharply,  yet 
with  a  smile.  "  Anybody  would  think  you  had 
grown  up  together  as  playmates." 

Diggles  shook  his  head  with  conviction. 
"  I  'm  telling  you  only  what  he  told  me.  He 
said  to  me,  he  said  —  ' 

'''  Well,  you  don't  believe  everything  that  any 
body  says,  do  you?"  interrupted  Bob,  curtly; 


THE    SULTAN'S    RIVAL 

he  was  amused  and  disgusted  with  the  fellow's 
simplicity. 

Diggles,  prime  minister  of  the  Sahara  re 
gion,  raised  his  grimy  hand  in  protest.  "  Now 
don't  get  high !  "  he  remonstrated.  "  I  know  it 
looks  like  a  sea-yarn,  but  if  you  could  have 
seen  the  apartments  and  servants  and  clothes 
and  —  and  a  crown,  as  I  saw  them  at  the  Cecil 
Hotel  on  the  Strand,  you  would  —  " 

"O  pshaw!"  ejaculated  Bob.  "You  are  a 
foolish  fellow,  to  be  so  taken  in !  "  Then  his 
curiosity  revived,  and  as  the  young  man  shook 
his  head  steadily  and  seemed  inclined  to  explain 
further,  our  friend  listened. 

'  You  see,  the  Khedive  has  men  enough  in 
Southern  Morocco  to  get  him  his  rights;  but 
he  needs  arms  and  leaders.  And  my  master, 
the  King,  has  some  money,  and  the  Khedive 
gave  him  much  more;  with  this  money  he  has 
bought  —  but  there!  I  must  not  talk  about 
that.  What  I  want  to  say  to  you  is  this:  that 
my  master,  who  is  partly  French  and  partly 
Russian,  puts  great  confidence  in  the  English, 

18 


ENTRAPPED 

or  Americans,  —  it 's  the  same  thing.  He  has 
shipped  a  small  crew,  already,  for  our  craft, 
the  Saucy  Kate,  lying  at  anchor  out  there, 
but  he  does  n't  trust  them  very  much ;  they  are 
mostly  half-breeds  and  not  dependable;  I  'm  an 
Englishman,  myself,  from  Southhampton. 
Now,  he  likes  your  looks  very  much  indeed; 
and  as  soon  as  he  clapped  eyes  on  you,  he 
says  —  " 

"  O,  never  mind,  never  mind !  "  broke  in  our 
young  friend;  "  it  does  n't  matter  what  he  said 
or  thought.  I  hope  I  don't  look  like  a  fellow 
who  is  such  a  fool  as  to  go  into  a  wild-cat 
adventure  of  this  sort.  Why,  man,  there  is  n't 
a  ghost  of  a  chance  for  success  in  such  a 
scheme.  And  I  wonder  that  such  a  sensible 
looking  Englishman  as  you  should  —  " 

"  I  beg  pardon,  sir !  "  said  the  long,  lean  fel 
low,  taking  off  and  twirling  his  round  cap. 
"  I  've  shipped  with  him,  and  I  'm  not  one  to 
back  out.  Yes,  and  I  believe  in  him;  I  do 
indeed." 

But,  as  he  spoke,  his  manner  did  not  quite 
19 


THE    SULTAN'S    RIVAL 

confirm  his  brave  words.  And  Bob  Laurie, 
noting  that  the  night  was  coming  on,  spoke 
in  a  jocose  tone  and  said:  "  Well,  good  luck  to 
you,  my  misguided  friend.  You  seem  a  pretty 
decent  sort,  but  I  'm  not  caught  with  any  such 
chaff.  Good-bye  to  you,  and  my  best  wishes 
for  your  success." 

"Just  a  minute,  please?"  pleaded  the  man 
Diggles,  and,  as  he  spoke,  he  glanced  away  into 
the  gathering  dusk,  where  Jean  Smith,  the 
"  King  of  the  Sahara  "  had  disappeared,  as  if 
he  feared  his  return  in  anger.  "  I  say,  now, 
the  scheme  is  n't  half-bad,  if  you  look  at 
it  in  my  way.  The  Khedive  is  the  rightful 
Sultan;  and  if  my  master  will  help  him,  the 
Khedive  will  give  him  the  right  to  the  Sahara ; 
and  —  " 

"  But,  you  —  you  deluded  chap,"  laughed 
Bob,  "  don't  you  know  that  the  Sahara  is  a  vast 
desert,  with  no  settled  inhabitants,  and  utterly 
worthless,  and  —  " 

"  Yes,  so  my  master,  the  King,  says,"  ex 
plained  Diggles,  eagerly ;  "  but  it  is  lower  than 

20 


ENTRAPPED 

the  sea-level;  and  my  master  plans  to  cut  a 
canal  from  the  Atlantic,  and  flood  that  whole 
region  and  then  colonize  it  for  - 

"  O  rubbish ! "  retorted  Bob,  scornfully. 
"  I  never  heard  of  a  wilder  scheme  in  my  life. 
But  I  must  not  stay  here  any  longer.  As  I 
said  before,  you  have  my  best  wishes.  So  good 
bye  !  "  And  he  gave  the  man  a  friendly  grasp 
of  the  hand,  and  left  him. 

But  with  all  the  simplicity  of  Lankester  Dig- 
gles's  nature,  he  was  a  very  persistent  indi 
vidual  ;  and  now,  as  Bob  turned  away,  he  waited 
a  moment,  then  followed  after  him,  literally 
begging  him  in  a  childish  way :  "  I  say,  you, 
I  do  wish  you  'd  join  us.  You  're  the  right 
sort.  You  shall  have  my  job;  you  shall  be 
prime  minister.  I  like  the  cut  of  your  jib 
immensely ;  and  I  'd  feel  a  lot  better  to  have 
you  along  with  us.  We  're  bound  to  win,  and 
there  's  big  money  for  all.  I  hope  —  '; 

But  his  voice  grew  hopeless,  even  as  he  spoke 
the  word  "  hope,"  for  Bob  turned,  now  with 
manifest  annoyance.  '  You  shut  up !  "  he  or- 

21 


THE    SULTAN'S    RIVAL 

dered;  "I've  said  'No/  and  that  ends  it." 
Then  he  turned  and  quickened  his  pace,  walk 
ing  along  the  dock  among  the  piles  of  mer 
chandise,  and  trying  to  get  over  the  angry 
mood  into  which  he  had  been  pushed. 

:'  Well,  it  certainly  is  a  queer  deal,"  he  so 
liloquized,  and  stopped  to  laugh  outright.  "  A 
half  crazy  chap,  made  the  tool  of  a  sly  Moor, 
and  setting  out  to  dethrone  the  Sultan  of  Mo 
rocco.  What  astounding  ideas  some  people  do 
hatch  out  in  their  unbalanced  heads." 

Thus  soliloquizing,  he  sauntered  on  more  lei 
surely,  and  casually  observed  the  various  craft 
drawn  up  alongside  the  docks,  or  lying  out  a 
little  in  the  waterway  leading  around  the  penin 
sula.  By  their  "  Colors  "  or  their  rigging  or 
their  sailor-men,  he  could  tell  where  most  of 
them  came  from ;  and  he  grew  so  interested  in 
his  observations  that  he  presently  forgot  the 
surprising  and  puzzling  scene  which  he  had 
just  shared. 

When,  suddenly,  as  he  was  taking  a  short 
cut  through  an  ill-lighted  alley,  near  the  Great 

22 


ENTRAPPED 

Gate,  he  thought  he  detected  quick  footsteps 
close  behind  him ;  and  he  turned. 

Then  he  felt  his  head  and  shoulders  envel 
oped  in  some  sort  of  coarse  bag.  For  an  instant 
he  fancied  it  must  be  a  joke,  played  by  some 
person  who  had  mistaken  him ;  but,  as  he  strug 
gled,  and  in  vain,  against  the  strong  arms  which 
now  closed  about  him,  he  realized  that  he  was 
in  great  peril.  He  tore  fiercely  at  the  tough 
cloth,  and  then  attempted  to  shout,- 

His  cry  of  "  Help  "  rang  out  loudly;  then  he 
heard  a  muttered  oath  in  Spanish;  and  again 
he  raised  his  voice,  and  then  —  then  he  felt  a 
shock  on  his  head,  and  he  became  unconscious. 


CHAPTER   III 

A    VOICE    FROM    THE    DARKNESS 

When  Bob  Laurie  returned  to  consciousness 
he  knew  not  where  he  was ;  he  thought,  at  first, 
of  only  two  things ;  one  was  that  he  was  in  the 
midst  of  darkness;  he  could  see  not  a  glimmer 
of  light,  natural  or  artificial ;  and  the  other  was 
that  he  was  very  thirsty.  He  arose  to  con 
sciousness  out  of  a  dream;  with  this  dense 
gloom  all  about  him,  his  dream  for  a  few  mo 
ments  seemed  more  real  than  the  waking  re 
ality.  He  had  been  dreaming  that  he  was 
back  again  on  Boston  Common,  where  he  had 
played  many  a  time,  —  and  that  he  was  walk 
ing  near  the  frog- pond;  it  seemed  to  him  that 
he  had  a  headache,  and  that  he  wet  his  hand 
kerchief  in  the  water  of  the  frog-pond  and  put 
it  to  his  aching  head;  then  it  seemed  that  the 
fountain  in  the  middle  of  the  pond  was  turned 

24 


A  VOICE  FROM  THE  DARKNESS 

on,  and  rose  in  that  massive  urn-like  contour, 
—  so  familiar  to  Bostonians,  —  ten  feet  high 
and  twenty  feet  wide,  which  he  had  often  ob 
served;  then,  in  his  dream,  he  listened  to  the 
splash  of  the  water  from  the  fountain,  and 
began  to  feel  thirsty;  and  he  started  to  walk 
out  on  the  granite  blocks  which  serve  as  step 
ping-stones  to  the  middle  of  the  pond  and  foun 
tain.  Somehow  he  could  not  maintain  his  foot 
ing,  yet  his  thirst  led  him  to  keep  trying;  and 
suddenly  he  fell  off,  off  —  and  awoke ;  and 
found  himself  —  somewhere,  in  darkness,  very 
thirsty,  and  his  head  aching,  and  sore  in  one 
spot. 

He  tried  to  think  what  had  happened.  The 
last  that  he  could  remember  was  —  O,  yes,  it 
was  that  struggle  on  the  pier  at  Cadiz;  a  bag 
or  piece  of  cloth  was  thrown  over  his  head, 
and  then  rough,  strong  arms  bound  him  around, 
and  he  struggled  and  shouted,  and  —  then  all 
was  darkness. 

But  how  long  ago  did  that  happen?  And 
where  was  he  now?  He  racked  his  brain  to 

25 


THE    SULTAN'S    RIVAL 

find  some  explanation.  All  at  once  he  under 
stood.  Yes,  he  had  been  seized;  a  blow  on  his 
head  had  stunned  him;  he  felt  the  sore  spot 
again;  it  was  swelled  as  large  as  half  an  Eng 
lish  walnut.  He  must  have  been  mistaken  for 
somebody  else;  for  he  had  no  enemies  whom 
he  knew  about.  Now  he  was  in  this  dark 
room,  and  felt  dizzy  and  thirsty,  and  his  head 
ached.  Perhaps  robbery  had  been  the  motive 
of  his  assailant ;  so  he  felt  for  his  money-belt, 
and  it  was  safe;  also  a  large  jack-knife  and 
some  coins  in  his  pockets. 

But  something  must  be  done;  and  Bob 
stretched  out  his  hands  and  feet,  groping  about 
him.  At  once  he  felt  an  obstacle;  and,  feeling 
his  way,  cautiously,  he  made  out  the  shape  of  a 
large  box,  and  two  or  three  other  boxes,  of 
rough  deal. 

This  discovery,  together  with  a  sudden  mo 
tion,  or  swing,  of  the  "  room  "  where  he  was, 
at  once  revealed  to  him  the  fact  that  he  was 
on  some  ship;  it  became  suddenly  clear  to  him; 
and  now  he  could  make  out,  at  times,  the 

26 


A  VOICE  FROM   THE   DARKNESS 

"  swash  "  of  waves,  outside  the  ship;  yes,  that 
was  the  sound  which,  in  his  dream,  he  had 
thought  was  made  by  the  splashing  fountain 
in  the  frog-pond  of  Boston  Common. 

So  he  was  on  some  sort  of  ship ;  in  the  hold, 
too,  judging  by  the  boxes  and  barrels  around 
him;  what  craft  was  it?  And  where  was  it 
going?  And  who  put  him  on  board?  And 
why? 

Thus  the  varied  questions  rushed  through 
his  brain,  as  he  now  more  completely  recovered 
consciousness.  Suddenly  he  remembered  the 
scene  and  incidents  on  the  pier,  or  dock,  at 
Cadiz;  he  recalled  his  strange  interview  with 
that  fantastic  looking  man  of  the  big,  fierce 
moustache;  "  Jean  Smith  "  was  his  name.  Also 
he  claimed  to  be  "  King  of  the  Sahara."  And 
then  there  was  his  English  companion,  Diggles, 
Lankester  Diggles ;  O  —  suddenly  Bob  got  a 
clear  idea  of  the  whole  situation.  He  remem 
bered  that  Jean  Smith  had  tried  to  enlist  him 
in  his  visionary  scheme  about  Morocco,  and 
had  been  wrathful  when  Bob  had  declined ;  and 

27 


THE   SULTAN'S    RIVAL 

Diggles  had  tried  to  persuade  him;  and  had 
spoken  about  a  ship,  the  Saucy  Kate,  lying  out 
in  the  stream. 

Matters  were  taking  clearer  shape  in  Bob 
Laurie's  mind.  He  was  now  pretty  close  to 
the  truth  of  the  situation.  He  said  to  himself, 
rubbing  gingerly  the  sore  spot  on  his  head: 
"  I  see,  I  see ;  they  have  seized  me  by  a  mean, 
brutal  trick,  when  they  found  they  could 
not  get  me  in  any  other  way.  But  Diggles  — 
now  Diggles  did  n't  seem  of  quite  that  sort ;  a 
rather  decent  fellow  I  thought  him;  although 
utterly  fooled  by  the  pompous  '  King  of  the 
Sahara/  " 

Thus  poor,  thirsty,  dizzy  Bob  pondered ;  and 
now,  as  he  knew  that  he  was  aboard  ship,  he 
could  easily  detect  the  motion  of  the  vessel,  as 
she  keeled  slightly  under  what  was  probably  a 
fair  wind  or  a  very  steady  wind  on  the  quarter. 
Once  or  twice  he  fancied  he  heard  faint  sounds, 
as  of  some  person  giving  orders  on  deck.  And 
how  far  below  deck  was  he?  This  same  ques 
tion  made  him  hold  his  breath,  for  one  instant, 

28 


A  VOICE  FROM  THE  DARKNESS 

with  dread.  Another  source  of  possible  dan 
ger  was  disclosed  as  Bob  caught  the  sound  of 
something  scratching  or  gnawing.  "Rats? 
Yes,  probably."  Every  ship  contains  them.  If 
you  are  a  passenger,  comfortably  berthed  and 
cared  for,  you  give  no  thought  to  them;  but 
to  be  shut  into  the  hold,  and  be  thirsty  and 
hungry,  and  hear  bold,  vigorous  rats  gnawing 
near  you  —  that  is  a  terrible  situation ;  and  Bob 
Laurie  felt  it  so. 

But  a  sound  now  broke  in  upon  the  silence 
and  darkness ;  it  appeared  to  be  a  human  voice, 
perhaps  a  dozen  yards  away,  through  the  mer 
chandise.  '  What  a  row !  What  a  row !  "  said 
the  voice,  as  if  the  person  were  talking  to  him 
self.  And  Bob's  instant  conclusion  was  that 
some  other  unfortunate,  like  himself,  had  been 
shut  into  the  hold. 

Again,  after  a  pause,  the  exclamation  was 
repeated.  "  What  a  row !  I  say,  what  a  row !  " 
followed  by  a  sort  of  gurgle  and  chuckle  which 
sounded  extremely  uncanny,  and  puzzled  Bob 
and  made  his  flesh  creep  nervously.  Who  could 

29 


THE    SULTAN'S    RIVAL 

it  be  ?  Bob  was  on  the  point  of  calling  out,  but 
hardly  dared;  for  he  knew  not  who  his  strange 
neighbor  might  be;  the  voice  was  thick  and 
harsh,  and  might  belong  to  some  drunken 
sailor,  put  below  to  sleep  off  his  drunkenness. 
"  At  any  rate,"  remarked  Bob,  with  some  phi 
losophy,  "he  speaks  English;  I'm  glad  of 
that,  and- 

At  that  instant  the  same  voice  began  again, 
but  this  time  in  French.  "  Sacre  Nom !  Sacr-r-e 
Nom !  "  And  the  r's  rolled  out  like  a  volley  of 
tiny  pistol-shots. 

"Well!"  muttered  Bob,  under  his  breath. 

'  That  beats  me.  How  many  of  them  are  there  ? 

Two  at  least;  and  with  voices  enough  alike  to 

be  brothers.    I  wonder  if  I  wouldn't  do  well  to 

take  a  chance  with  them." 

Just  as  he  was  about  to  put  his  idea  into 
action,  he  heard  steps  in  the  direction  of  the 
voices,  as  of  somebody  running  down  the 
steep  steps  of  a  ladder-stair,  into  a  cabin; 
and  then  his  heart  gave  a  bound  of  hope  as  he 
heard  a  voice  which  was  very  like  that  of 

30 


A  VOICE  FROM  THE  DARKNESS 

Lankester  Biggies.  "  Heave  away,  my  hearty ! 
How  are  you?  Mixing  your  languages,  as 
usual?" 

There  was  no  reply  to  this,  and  Bob  was  on 
the  point  of  calling  out  to  Diggles  —  for  he  be 
lieved  he  could  trust  him  —  when  there  came  a 
sound  as  of  a  sliding-panel,  and  considerable 
light  was  sent  streaming  in  upon  the  weak,  half- 
sick  lad.  Then  the  voice  —  Diggles's  voice, 
Bob  knew,  now  —  called  out,  "  I  say,  my 
American  friend,  are  you  there  ?  " 

The  tone  was  friendly,  and  Bob  at  once  an 
swered,  "  Yes,  I  'm  here.  Is  that  you,  Lankes 
ter  Diggles?" 

'  The  same,"  was  the  young  Englishman's 
response.  '  You  can  come  out  this  way,  now. 
The  king  is  through  with  his  fit." 

"  With  his  what  ?  "  echoed  the  American  lad, 
astonished. 

'  Yes,  through  with  his  fit.  They  take  him, 
once  in  a  while,  do  the  mad  fits,  and  he  rages 
and  stamps  and  hits  out  with  his  sword  and 
spurs  jingling,  and  we  have  to  keep  out  of  his 


THE    SULTAN'S    RIVAL 

path.  But  I  say,  now,  come  through  here  into 
the  cabin;  over  the  tops  of  the  boxes." 

Bob  tried  to  rise,  and  did  it  with  difficulty. 
When  he  reached  a  sitting  posture,  he  sat  a 
few  moments  with  his  sore  aching  head  in  his 
hands,  and  felt  as  if  he  would  prefer  to  lie 
down  again.  "  I  say,  Diggles,"  he  called  out, 
"  would  you  mind  bringing  me  a  little  water? 
Have  you  any  there  ?  " 

"  Easy  enough !  "  came  Lankester  s  cheerful 
reply.  And  Bob  heard  the  trickling  sound  of 
a  small  stream  of  water  flowing  into  a  metal 
cup.  O,  how  sweet  that  sound  was  to  the  thirsty 
lad  whose  parched  lips  rubbed  together,  when 
he  spoke,  like  pieces  of  paper.  '  There  now !  " 
continued  the  cheery  Diggles.  "  Here  I  come." 
And  the  sound  of  the  trickling  water  ceased. 
"  In  a  minute.  I  s'pose  you  are  rather  hot  and 
thirsty,  after  that  crack  on  the  head  they  said 
they  had  to  give  you." 

Nearer  and  nearer  crawled  the  kind-hearted 
English  fellow,  talking  sociably  as  he  came, 
and  soon  he  stood  beside  Bob.  "  Quick ! 

32 


A  VOICE   FROM   THE  DARKNESS 

Quick!"  gasped  Bob,  reaching  out  his  hand 
eagerly,  yet  fearing,  in  the  half -darkness,  that 
he  might  knock  over  the  little  tin  pannikin, 
with  its  precious  fluid. 

A  long  draught,  and  a  breath,  and  then  an 
other;  and  the  pannikin  (holding  over  a  pint) 
was  empty.  Bob  drained  it,  and  sighed  with 
satisfaction.  It  made  him  feel  much  better. 
Then  his  ideas  began  to  straighten  themselves 
out,  as  soon  as  this  fierce  primal  instinct  of 
thirst  was  satisfied.  ''  Where  are  we?  "  he  de 
manded,  looking  up  at  Diggles.  "  And  why 
am  I  here?  " 

Lankester  Diggles  heaved  a  sigh  of  his  own, 
and  became  philosophical.  "  Well,  it 's  no  use 
crying  over  spilt  milk.  You  're  here,  on  the 
Saucy  Kate,  from  Cadiz,  bound  for  —  for  — 
well,  as  far  as  I  can  make  out,  we  're  bound  for 
about  Cape  Ghir,  south  of  Mogador,  on  the 
Morocco  coast." 

Bob  detected,  or  fancied  that  he  detected,  a 
note  of  triumph  in  Diggles's  tones;  and  his 
indignation  rose,  and  he  himself  rose.  He  got 

33 


THE    SULTAN'S    RIVAL 

to  his  feet,  weak  as  he  was,  and  demanded, 
"  Did  you  bring  me  on  board?  Did  you  dare 
do  that?" 

His  attitude  was  threatening,  weak  as  he 
was ;  but  he  relaxed  his  muscles  when  Diggles 
replied  warmly:  "No,  I  didn't;  please  get 
easy  in  your  mind  about  that ;  I  wanted  to  have 
you  enlist  with  us,  and  I  was  put  about  when 
you  said  '  No  '  to  me ;  but  I  would  n't  go  in  for 
a  nasty  trick  like  '  pressing  '  a  man.  That  was 
by  two  of  our  men  under  the  king's  orders." 

"He  wanted  me  badly,  didn't  he?"  was 
Bob's  angry  comment  as  he  felt  of  his  sore 
head. 

"  Yes,  he  did.  He  banks  heavily  on  the  Eng 
lish,  or  Americans,  —  it's  the  same  thing; 
he  thinks  he  can  depend  on  them;  but  you  and 
I  are  the  only  two  of  that  sort  on  board;  the 
others  are  a  job  lot,  scrapings  from  all  the 
ports  on  the  coast." 

Bob's  eyesight  was  growing  accustomed  to 
the  light  from  the  cabin-slide,  and  he  now  saw 
objects  around  him  more  closely.  "  What  cargo 

34 


A  VOICE  FROM  THE  DARKNESS 

have  we  ?  "  he  asked,  kicking  his  foot  against 
one  of  the  boxes  near  him. 

"  Hold  on ! "  exclaimed  Diggles.  "  I  would  n't 
make  too  free  with  those  boxes  and  cases, 
and  especially  with  those  casks.  There  may 
be  no  danger,  but  I  always  feel  great  respect 
for  firearms  and  ammunition/' 

His  voice  expressed  real  alarm;  and  Bob  re 
plied,  "What  do  you  mean?  Firearms  and 
ammunition  ?  " 

"  Exactly,"  was  his  companion's  dry  answer. 
"  Rifles  in  those  long  packing-cases,  and  car 
tridges  and  some  loose  powder  in  the  casks." 

"  Whew-w !  "  came  Bob's  comment,  ending 
in  a  low  whistle,  as  he  realized  what  he  was  in 
for.  "This  isn't  any  summer  picnic,  is  it?" 
Then  he  looked  up  at  Lankester  Diggles's  dull 
but  kindly  face,  dim  in  the  darkness,  and  said, 
slowly  and  firmly,  "  Let  me  tell  you,  right  here, 
that  I  go  on  this  expedition  against  my  will; 
and- 

'  Yes,  I  know  that,"  interrupted  Diggles, 
with  a  laugh.  "  Pedro  and  Sanchez  know  it, 

35 


THE   SULTAN'S    RIVAL 

too;  they  were  the  two  that  captured  you. 
They  said  you  fought  like  a  wild  animal." 

"  Huh !  Well,  I  did  n't  come  willingly,  you 
may  be  sure,  on  a  piratical,  fantastical  wild 
cat  cruise  like  this;  and  I  make  this  statement 
to  you,  Diggles,  and  you  may  sometime  have  a 
chance  to  swear  to  it  in  court;  that  is  if  we 
ever  get  around  to  such  a  civilized  place  as  a 
real  court  of  justice.  Why,  do  you  realize, 
my  good  man,  that  we  have  cast  loose  from 
all  protection  by  any  or  all  nations?  We  are 
no  better  than  pirates;  there  is  a  treaty  be 
tween  Morocco  and  Great  Britain.  Say  now, 
where  did  this  crazy  skipper  pick  up  this  war 
material?  When  did  he  get  it  on  board?" 

"  Lisbon !  "  came  Diggles's  somewhat  sullen 
response. 

"  Got  it  on  board  at  night,  I  '11  warrant," 
continued  the  American  lad. 

"  Yes,  a  dark,  stormy  night.  And  them 
Spaniards  ain't  over-particular  about  such  little 
things." 

A  few  moments  of  silence  followed;  they 
36 


A   VOICE  FROM   THE  DARKNESS 

were  moments  of  unhappy  and  angry  reflection 
on  Bob's  part.  What  Lankester  Diggles  was 
thinking  about  cannot  be  stated;  but  he  pres 
ently  ventured,  in  a  soothing  tone,  "  Well, 
there  's  no  use  in  crying  over  spilt  milk;  that 's 
what  my  mother  used  to  tell  me ;  as  long  as  —  ' 

Here  he  was  interrupted  by  the  same  raw, 
thick  voice  which  had  drawn  Bob's  attention 
and  wonder  before;  it  came,  evidently,  from 
whatever  place  lay  beyond  the  sliding-panel. 
"  Never  say  die !  Never  say  die !  "  sounded  the 
strange  voice,  as  if  from  some  person  who  had 
been  listening  to  their  conversation. 

"Who's  that?"  demanded  Bob.  "Who 
is  in  there  ?  Is  that  the  cabin  ?  " 

Lankester  smiled  and  chuckled  and  made  an 
swer  :  "  That 's  a  friend  of  mine ;  my  chum, 
he  is.  Yes,  he  's  in  the  cabin.  Come  along  and 
be  introduced." 


37 


CHAPTER   IV 

THE    OWNER    OF    THE    VOICE 

Bob  followed  the  young  English  sailor 
slowly,  —  for  he  felt  weak  and  cramped,  — 
and  they  crawled,  a  dozen  yards  or  so,  over 
bales  and  boxes  toward  the  cabin-slide.  Dig- 
gles  led  the  way  through  this  narrow  opening, 
and  Bob,  close  after  him,  soon  found  himself 
in  what  was  evidently  the  cabin  of  a  small 
sea-going  craft,  where  the  furnishings  indi 
cated  a  certain  degree  of  taste ;  a  kind  of  worn 
and  faded  luxury  was  indicated  by  the  cabin's 
equipment. 

In  fact,  the  Saucy  Kate  had  once  been 
a  large  pleasure-craft,  a  yacht,  in  which  the 
owner  had  cruised  nearly  around  the  world; 
but  one  night,  lying  off  Dieppe,  the  owner  being 
ashore,  and  the  crew  absorbed  in  some  French 
brandy  and  Spanish  lemons  and  West  India 
sugar,  —  in  combination,  —  no  lookout  lights 

38 


were  hung,  and  in  the  darkness  and  fog  the 
Saucy  Kate  was  run  down  and  sunk  by  an 
ocean-liner  for  Antwerp. 

The  owner,  a  very  rich  man,  sold  her,  as  she 
lay,  to  the  Channel  Wrecking  Company;  and 
they  raised  her,  repaired  her,  and  sold  her,  — 
of  course  at  a  reduced  price;  her  fortunes  had 
been  varied  since  then;  and  how  Jean  Smith, 
the  soldier  of  fortune  and  "The  Khedive," 
had  acquired  her  was  never  clearly  known. 

Suffice  it  to  say  that  she  was  still  staunch, 
very  fast,  schooner-rigged,  and  manned  by  as 
reckless  a  crowd  —  they  could  hardly  be  called 
a  "  crew  "  —  as  one  often  finds  in  these  days, 
among  the  Mediterranean  ports. 

Bob  Laurie's  gaze  naturally  ran  over  the 
little  cabin,  in  search  of  the  man  whose  voice 
had  been  heard  through  the  darkness  of  the 
hold;  but  he  saw  nobody;  the  four  berths  on 
the  port  and  the  starboard  had  their  curtains 
drawn  back,  and  were  empty.  Where  was  the 
strange  occupant  of  the  cabin?  Two  small 
lockers,  half  open,  disclosed  nothing.  Then 

39 


THE    SULTAN'S    RIVAL 

Bob's  eye  fell  upon  a  gray  African  parrot, 
standing  on  a  wooden  ledge  built  against  the 
side  of  the  cabin,  and  restrained  there  by  a 
small  chain  about  three  feet  long. 

Of  course  the  secret  was  out.  "  Allow  me," 
said  Lankester  Diggles,  with  a  little  show 
of  humor,  "  to  introduce  to  your  attention,  la 
dies  and  gentlemen,  this  remarkable  bird,  mas 
ter  of  many  languages  by  reason  of  his  educa 
tion  at  Oxford,  and  from  having  been  a  \vide 
traveler  over  the  face  of  the  earth." 

Bob's  face  lost  a  little  of  its  constraint  and 
sternness  as  he  looked  at  the  parrot;  for  he 
was  very  fond  of  pets,  whether  four-footed  or 
two-footed;  and  he  forgot  for  a  while  his 
strange  and  trying  and  perilous  situation  as 
he  looked  at  the  parrot  and  listened  to  Lan 
kester  Diggles  as  that  young  man  recited  his 
pet's  history  and  attainments. 

"  It 's  all  straight,  what  I  just  said  about  his 
being  educated  at  Oxford,"  he  affirmed.  '  You 
see  I  got  him  from  an  old  Oxford  '  Don,'  a 
professor,  that  is ;  I  was  a  '  Scout '  -  a  sort  of 

40 


THE   OWNER   OF   THE   VOICE 

valet  —  in  Oriel  College  for  four  years.  The 
professor  gave  the  bird  to  me  just  before  he 
resigned  his  professorship,  because  I  had  been 
kind  to  his  pet  and  once  saved  his  life  when  a 
student's  bull-dog  got  after  him.  O,  you  ought 
to  have  seen  the  old  professor's  study  after 
that  lively  pup  had  been  chasing  Trump  - 
that 's  the  parrot's  name  —  around  the  room 
for  ten  minutes." 

"So  his  name  is  Trump,  is  it?"  remarked 
Bob.  "  Where  did  he  get  that  name  ?  " 

'  Well,  you  see,  the  parrot  had  belonged  to 
nobody  knows  how  many  masters ;  they  do  say 
that  these  birds  live  to  a  great  age ;  anyhow,  he 
had  been  at  Oxford,  with  one  owner  and  an 
other,  more  than  twenty  years.  And  his  name 
had  been  passed  along  with  him.  Nobody  at 
Oxford,  in  my  time,  knew  just  how  he  got 
the  name.  Anyhow,  it  seems  to  fit  him." 

Diggles  gazed  at  his  pet  with  evident  admira 
tion;  and  Bob,  putting  out  his  finger  toward 
the  bird,  asked  cautiously,  "  Will  he  nip  me, 
if  I  stroke  him?" 


THE    SULTAN'S    RIVAL 

'  Well,  you  wait  a  bit,"  interposed  Diggles, 
hastily.  "  He  can  bite  like  —  like  old  Sancho, 
if  he  takes  a  notion ;  I  Ve  seen  him  take  a 
piece  of  flesh  right  out  of  a  fellow's  finger  with 
that  black  beak  of  his.  Here!  Let  me  tell 
him  about  you  first." 

So  saying,  he  put  up  his  own  hand ;  and  the 
parrot,  in  the  slow  guarded  fashion  of  his  spe 
cies,  stretched  out  one  wrinkled  gray  foot  and 
laid  hold  of  his  master's  finger ;  then,  reaching 
down,  he  gave  sundry  little  harmless  bites  at 
it,  and  next  advanced  his  other  foot  and  stepped 
across  from  his  ledge. 

He  was  a  large,  handsome  creature,  of  the 
species  found  near  the  Congo,  on  the  West 
coast.  He  was  slate-colored,  with  little  ripples 
of  lighter  gray  over  his  breast.  His  notched 
beak  was  as  black  as  ebony,  and  looked  equally 
hard ;  his  eyes  were  black,  ringed  with  a  saffron 
tint;  the  only  bright  color  in  his  plumage  was 
in  his  tail  feathers,  where  four  brilliant  crimson 
plumes  shone  resplendent  when  he  spread  his 
wings. 

42 


THE    OWNER   OF   THE    VOICE 

Bob  had  always  understood  that  this  breed 
of  parrots  was  exceptionally  intelligent;  and 
certainly  Trump  looked  as  if  he  were  quite 
up  to  the  standard.  "  If  he  's  as  wise  as  he 
looks,"  remarked  the  lad,  "  he  could  give  odds 
to  old  King  Solomon !  " 

Lankester  Diggles  shook  his  head  with  con 
fidence.  "  He 's  even  wiser  than  he  looks. 
Here,  Trump,  old  chappie,  this  is  a  friend  of 
mine  and  so  he  's  a  friend  of  yours ;  you  can 
trust  him;  he  won't  play  any  mean  tricks  on 
you.  He  's  all  right,  all  right."  And  Diggles 
put  one  hand  on  Bob's  shoulder,  and  extended 
the  other  hand,  with  the  parrot,  toward  the 
American  lad. 

The  gray,  sagacious-looking  bird  stared  criti 
cally  at  this  new  friend,  waited  a  moment,  then 
repeated  his  master's  words,  "  All  right,  all 
right !  "  and  stepped  across  to  Bob's  finger. 
Then  a  moment  more  of  silence,  and  he  sud 
denly  stretched  his  wings  and  emitted  a  series 
of  sounds  which  were  precisely  like  those  which 
would  be  made  by  a  teamster  cracking  his  whip ; 

43 


THE    SULTAN'S    RIVAL 

the  sounds  were  explosive,  and  half  as  loud 
as  a  small  pistol. 

'  That  settles  it,"  interposed  Lankester  Dig- 
gles  with  assurance.  "  That  means  that  he 
takes  my  word  for  you;  he  won't  bite,  now. 
He  must  have  learned  that  sort  of  sound  from 
the  hostlers  at  the  Mitre,  —  that 's  the  inn  at 
Oxford,  and  one  of  his  masters  had  a  room 
overlooking  the  stables.  When  he  cracks  his 
whip  he  's  all  right." 

Trump  now  started  on  a  tour  of  inspection 
over  Bob's  entire  frame.  Using  his  powerful 
black  beak  like  a  third  foot,  he  climbed  up  and 
down  and  around  the  lad's  body  and  limbs, 
uttering  a  little  clicking  sound  at  intervals. 
He  amused  Bob  greatly,  and  made  him  quite 
forget  his  unpleasant  situation  on  the  Saucy 
Kate.  "  By  Jove,"  said  the  laughing  lad,  "  he 
acts  like  a  newspaper  reporter,  and  he  sounds 
as  if  he  were  taking  notes  in  shorthand." 

Lankester  Diggles  stood  off,  with  his  hands 
deep  in  his  trousers'  pockets,  and  surveyed  his 
pet  with  pride.  "  O,  he  's  a  wonder,"  said  he. 

44 


THE   OWNER   OF    THE    VOICE 

"  My,  the  things  he  can  do  and  say  and  think ! 
Why  he  does  n't  tell  half  he  knows.  And  some 
times,  when  you  think  he  's  not  noticing,  he 
takes  it  all  in,  and  keeps  mum,  and  then  a 
week  or  a  month  later,  out  it  comes,  something 
you  'd  almost  forgotten  you  said." 

"  How  old  do  you  suppose  he  is?  "  inquired 
Bob,  stroking  the  strange  creature's  head  with 
a  finger. 

'  That  I  can't  say.  His  history  was  written 
out  by  his  last  master,  the  '  Don  '  of  Oriel,  as 
far  back  as  he  could  trace  it,  and  was  hung 
up  on  the  wall  of  the  study.  But  I  lost  the 
paper.  The  '  Don  '  could  credit  him  with  over 
fifty  years,  but  he  's  very  likely  older  than  that. 
He  must  have  had  some  learned  owners,  for 
he  talks  not  only  in  English,  but  more  or  less  in 
several  other  languages;  you  hear  all  those  at 
Oxford,  you  know." 

For  a  quarter  of  an  hour  Bob  had  almost 
forgotten  his  unpleasant  circumstances;  he 
could  imagine  himself  again  in  Oxford,  Eng 
land,  which  he  had  once  visited.  But,  at  this 

45 


THE   SULTAN'S    RIVAL 

juncture,  sounds  on  the  deck  of  the  trim 
schooner  drew  his  attention.  Voices  were 
raised  in  an  angry  tone,  and  then  a  pistol-shot 
was  heard. 

The  parrot  showed  uneasiness  at  this,  and 
his  master  promptly  transferred  him  to  his 
ledge;  where  he  instantly  hid  himself  behind 
one  of  the  small  curtains  of  a  bull's-eye  window. 
Then  Diggles  started  to  go  up  the  companion 
way.  "  A  little  trouble  up  there,"  he  remarked, 
carelessly.  "  I  must  see  what  it  is.  Will  you 
come  up  ?  Or  will  you  stay  here  ? ': 

Bob  paused  only  a  moment  to  decide.  '  You 
go  ahead,  Diggles,"  he  said,  drawing  a  long 
breath.  "  And  I  '11  follow.  I  might  as  well 
know  the  worst,  at  once." 


46 


CHAPTER   V 

IN     DANGER     OF     DEATH 

When  Bob  Laurie  issued  from  the  cabin  of 
the  Saucy  Kate  and  stood  on  deck,  the  sky 
was  clear,  the  afternoon  sun  was  nearing  the 
horizon  on  the  starboard  side,  and  he  saw  what 
he  took  to  be  the  coast  of  Africa  not  more  than 
a  dozen  miles  away.  They  were  evidently  run 
ning  down  the  West  coast,  and  Lankester  Dig- 
gles's  information  as  to  their  destination  was 
confirmed. 

The  mild  air  and  bright  sunlight  were  grate 
ful  to  our  young  friend  after  his  long  durance 
in  the  dark,  smelly  hold;  but  the  scene  imme 
diately  before  him  now  drew  his  attention. 
In  the  waist  of  the  ship  stood  Jean  Smith,  the 
self-styled  "  King  of  the  Sahara,"  and  in  his 
hand  was  a  pistol.  He  was  clad  in  the  full 
panoply  of  his  regal  office,  as  he  understood 

47 


THE    SULTAN'S    RIVAL 

it.  There  was  much  gold  lace  on  his  coat,  and 
the  ever-present  top-boots  with  spurs  were 
much  in  evidence.  Also  he  wore  a  heavy  cav 
alry-sabre,  which  clanked  in  a  very  gratifying 
military  fashion  as  its  wearer  moved  about. 
Near  him  stood  two  Spanish  half-breeds,  — 
Pedro  (who  had  lost  an  eye)  and  Sanchez 
(who  had  a  stiff  knee),  and  they  likewise  wore 
more  or  less  gold  lace  as  evidence  of  their 
official  rank.  Just  beyond  them  were  gathered 
a  half  dozen  Lascars,  half  clad,  and  sullen  in 
manner.  They  had  run  away  from  their  ship, 
an  East  Indiaman,  as  she  lay  in  port,  at  Cadiz, 
and  had  yielded  to  the  wiles  and  threats  of 
Pedro  and  Sanchez. 

The  king,  at  this  moment,  was  haranguing 
them  in  a  loud  tone,  and  flourishing  his  pistol. 

Lankester  Diggles  at  once  put  himself  loy 
ally  beside  his  chief,  and  handled  a  pistol  which 
he  carried  in  his  belt  together  with  a  sailor's 
sheath-knife. 

As  soon  as  Jean  Smith,  King  of  the  Sahara, 
set  eyes  on  Bob,  his  violent,  noisy  manner 

48 


IN    DANGER    OF    DEATH 

changed ;  he  grew  suddenly  mild,  and  gave  some 
final  order  to  the  refractory  crew,  who  scattered 
to  their  duties.  "  Welcome,  young  Englishman, 
—  I  mean  American!  "  he  called,  and  advanced 
to  our  friend.  '  We  have  had  a  little  —  '  up 
rise,'  you  call  it;  but  not  serious.  I  hope  you 
are  feeling  well." 

His  face  and  manner  were  those  of  a  man 
who  wished  to  conciliate,  yet  could  be  severe 
and  cruel  if  he  chose;  but  Bob  stood  his  ground 
and  replied,  sturdily,  "  If  I  am  feeling  well, 
it  is  not  your  fault." 

Then,  as  he  spoke,  his  anger  grew  upon  him, 
his  indignation  at  the  whole  high-handed  pro 
ceeding,  and  he  continued  recklessly :  "  What 
is  the  meaning  of  this?  Why  have  you  seized 
me,  —  or  ordered  it  done,  —  and  stowed  me 
away  in  that  black  hole  like  a  piece  of  mer 
chandise?  Don't  you  know  that  you  have  com 
mitted  a  criminal  act?  The  law  will  lay  hold 
of  you  and  make  you  pay  dearly  for  this  out 
rage." 

Jean  Smith  stroked  his  huge,  fierce  moustache 
49 


THE    SULTAN'S    RIVAL 

and  smiled,  and  a  cunning  look  sat  in  his  nar 
rowed  eyes.  "  Ah,  indeed.  I  don't  see  any 
law,  anywhere,  out  here;  out  here,  my  word 
is  law."  Then  he  took  on  a  soothing  tone, 
and  added :  "  I  hope  that  the  excellent  young 
American  will  show  that  good  sense  which  his 
race  is  said  to  possess.  He  shall  be  my  - 
well,  my  private  secretary,  here  on  board;  and 
when  we  establish  our  court  in  the  interior 
[here  he  waved  his  hand  in  a  grand  manner 
toward  the  continent  of  Africa  in  general],  he 
shall  be  my  Secretary  of  State." 

"  Secretary  of  State !  Secretary  of  fiddle 
sticks  !  "  burst  out  Bob,  in  wrath  and  scorn. 
f(  Do  you  think  you  can  fool  me  with  that  talk?  ' 

Then  he  half  regretted  his  outburst,  for  the 
excited  fanatical  look  which  he  had  once  before 
noted  in  this  strange  adventurer  gathered  on 
his  face,  and  he  fingered  the  butt  of  the  pistol 
which  he  had  thrust  back  into  his  gaudy 
sash. 

Bob  watched  his  every  movement ;  and  Lan- 
kester  Diggles  showed  uneasiness,  because  he 

50 


IN    DANGER   OF   DEATH 

knew  his  chief's  violent  fits  of  rage,  and 
dreaded  what  might  come  to  the  daring  Amer 
ican  lad,  for  whom  he  had  very  friendly  feel 
ings.  But  the  paroxysm  of  fury  passed  harm 
lessly  through  the  morbid  brain  of  Jean  Smith, 
and  he  now  spoke  more  quietly.  "  Let  us  walk 
together,"  he  suggested,  as  if  he  had  been  a 
courteous  host  inviting  an  honored  guest. 
'We  will  walk  and  talk;  that  is  the  way." 
And  he  nodded  smilingly  to  Bob,  and  led  the 
way,  his  sword  clanking;  and  the  two  paced 
back  and  forth  the  length  of  the  deck,  as  is 
much  done  by  passengers  on  shipboard. 

;'  I  have  great  —  great  —  what  you  call  it  — 
a  great  respect  toward  your  people,  English  and 
American,"  began  Jean  Smith,  in  a  flattering 
tone.  "  And  I  shall  be  glad  to  have  you  share 
in  my  glory  and  power,  after  I  take  possession 
of  my  country." 

Bob  had  now  resolved  to  keep  his  tongue 
under  restraint ;  there  was  danger  of  the  worst 
if  he  did  not;  and  if  he  was  to  come  out  of 
this  Quixotic  and  reckless  expedition  alive  he 


THE    SULTAN'S    RIVAL 

must  do  it  by  discretion  and  patience,  not  by 
force.  So  he  nodded  as  his  companion  paused, 
and  answered  shortly,  "  I  am  listening." 

This  milder  tone  of  his  encouraged  the  king, 
and  he  went  on  more  warmly  and  with  increas 
ing  enthusiasm :  "  With  your  aid  my  task  will 
be  easier;  I  can  trust  you,  and  my  chief  mate, 
Lankester  Diggles,  who,  later,  will  be  my  prime 
minister.  Or,  now  that  I  reflect  -  '  here  he 
stopped  walking,  and  bent  his  head  reflectively. 
"  Will  it  not  be  better  to  change  and  make  him 
secretary  of  state  and  make  you  prime  min 
ister  ?  "  And  again  he  sank  into  a  state  of  deep 
cogitation. 

This  sudden  break  in  his  chain  of  ideas  Bob 
noted  again  and  again,  as  long  as  he  was  asso 
ciated  with  the  strange  man ;  it  seemed  a  symp 
tom  of  his  unbalanced  condition  of  mind;  yet, 
although  Bob  smiled  inwardly  at  the  foolish 
ness  of  debating,  at  this  early  point  in  the 
perilous  game,  about  fine  distinctions  of  office 
in  the  Saharan  Government,  he  said  nothing, 
and  waited. 

52 


Bob  returned  the  salute  somewhat  coldly,  and  uttered  a 
brief  "  The  same  to  you,  sir  " 

See  page 


IN    DANGER   OF    DEATH 

"  Yes,  I  think  we  will  keep  it  as  I  said  first," 
answered  the  king,  now  recovering  himself, 
and  walking  again.  "  Diggles  shall  be  prime 
minister,  and  you  shall  be  secretary  of  state." 
Then  another  side  of  the  matter  occurred  to 
him.  "  That  is,"  he  explained,  somewhat  un 
easily,  "  if  you  don't  mind;  I  hope  you  don't?  " 

"  Not  in  the  least,"  responded  Bob,  feeling 
as  if  he  were  acting  a  part  in  a  stage-comedy. 
This  calm  way  of  offering  and  accepting 
or  declining  secretaryships  and  premierships 
amused  him  vastly ;  but  he  kept  his  countenance. 

"  I  am  glad  of  that,"  replied  his  singular 
companion,  as  they  resumed  their  stroll  along 
the  deck.  "  Because  sedition  is  likely  to  arise 
in  a  kingdom  where  there  is  jealousy  and  vain 
ambition ;  it  has  always  been  so,  since  the  time 
of  Julius  Caesar ;  I  have  read  much  about  such 
seditions  and  revolutions." 

Bob  grew  more  and  more  interested  in  the 
man.  "  Mad  as  a  hatter !  "  was  the  sensible 
American  lad's  inner  comment;  but  he  main 
tained  an  attentive  outward  attitude. 

53 


THE    SULTAN'S    RIVAL 

"  All  we  have  to  do,"  the  king  now  went  on, 
"  is  to  keep  on  our  voyage  to  a  point  just  south 
of  Cape  Ghir.  The  Khedive  —  and  my  loyal 
subject  Diggles  has  told  you  about  him,  as  I 
directed  him  to  do  —  the  Khedive  has  pre 
ceded  us,  coming  from  London  by  land,  and 
is  now,  undoubtedly,  in  Morocco  City  awaiting 
us.  Yes,  he  is  even  now,  perhaps,  over  there," 
and  he  waved  his  hand  toward  the  west,  and 
again  seemed  inclined  to  sink  into  one  of  his 
dreamy  moods;  but  he  restrained  himself  and 
resumed  his  strange  recital :  "  Yes,  the  Khedive 
will  signal  us  from  the  cliffs  beyond  the  cape. 
I  know  the  place.  There  is  a  white-faced  cliff 
among  the  red  ones ;  we  are  to  anchor  off  that 
point ;  the  Khedive  will  have  a  hundred  or  more 
faithful  followers  with  him,  and  they  will  help 
our  men  get  the  guns  and  cartridges  - 

This  cool  detailing  of  a  scheme  so  contrary 
to  international  law  roused  Bob,  and  he  inter 
posed  :  "  But  don't  you  see,  sir,  that  you  are 
running  great  risks  in  taking  arms  and  ammu 
nition  into  the  Sultan's  dominions  without  his 

54 


IN    DANGER   OF    DEATH 

approval?  Why,  it  is  breaking  the  Treaty  of 
Morocco  with  Spain  or  Great  Britain,  —  which 
ever  country  you  sailed  from;  and  the  penalty 
is  a  long  imprisonment;  or,  if  you  are  caught 
by  the  Sultan,  he  will  off  with  your  head  in  a 
minute." 

The  infatuated  "  King  of  the  Sahara  "  only 
smiled  indulgently,  and  waved  away  such  ob 
jections.  "  I  was  born  to  be  a  king!  "  he  an 
nounced,  now  lifting  his  head  in  a  would-be 
regal  manner.  "  A  learned  astrologer  of  Cor 
dova  so  informed  my  mother,  after  careful 
study  of  the  stars  and  several  houses  of  the 
heavens.  So,  as  long  as  that  is  fated  to  be  by 
the  stars,  no  power  on  earth  can  prevent  it." 

Bob  stood,  more  and  more  amazed  each  mo 
ment.  The  crazy  conceit  of  the  man  was  co 
lossal;  and  he  was  going  blindly  on  toward 
what  must  prove  disastrous.  Bob's  surprise 
now  gave  place  to  the  determination  to  make 
one  more  appeal  to  the  man's  common  sense. 
:'  Now  see  here,  sir ! "  he  exclaimed,  standing 
firmly  before  the  hare-brained  adventurer. 

55 


THE    SULTAN'S    RIVAL 

"  This  expedition  is  foolish  and  criminal ;  it  can 
not  possibly  succeed;  and  I  must  tell  you,  once 
for  all,  that  I  will  not  join  you  in  it." 

The  man's  face  grew  serious,  then  it  hard 
ened.  "  You  have  already  joined  it,"  he  said, 
icily. 

"  I  have  not,"  contradicted  sturdy  Bob.  "  I 
was  seized,  and  brought  on  board,  unconscious, 
and  was  stuck  into  that  dark,  dirty  hold  — ' 

Jean  Smith's  face  at  once  changed  with 
hope  and  conciliation.  "  I  am  sorry  for  that," 
he  interposed.  '  We  weighed  anchor  in  a 
hurry;  there  was  need  of  haste;  and  I  had 
mislaid  my  keys,  and  —  and  I  apologize  for  the 
carelessness." 

He  evidently  thought  he  could  soothe  Bob's 
feelings,  and  reconcile  him  to  the  expedition; 
but  he  little  knew  the  lad.  "  That  does  not 
count,  now,"  said  Bob;  "what  I  say  is  this: 
I  take  no  willing  part  in  this  scheme.  And  I 
call  Lankester  Diggles  to  witness  my  decla 
ration." 

"  Sorry,  sir ;  straight  sorry  to  hear  you 
56 


IN    DANGER   OF    DEATH 

say  it,"  responded  that  worthy,  shaking  his 
head  gloomily  as  Bob  looked  expectantly  at 
him. 

But  the  King  of  the  Sahara  now  saw  that 
there  was  no  winning  the  lad  over  by  soft 
words  and  fair  promises.  His  brow  darkened 
under  the  big  hat,  and  he  gave  one  savage  pull 
at  each  side  of  his  stiff  moustache  and  broke 
out :  "  But  you  shall ;  I  say  you  shall  join  us 
in  our  great  campaign.  You  are  wholly  in 
my  power."  Here  an  evil,  merciless  look  came 
into  his  deep-set  eyes,  and  he  laid  his  hand  upon 
his  pistol.  "  You  shall  swear  allegiance  to  me, 
here  and  nowr,  or  - 

"Ahoy!  Ahoy!"  called  Pedro,  from  the 
wheel  where  he  was  serving  his  trick.  "  A 
stranger  is  overhauling  us." 

All  eyes  turned  instantly  toward  the  sea 
astern  of  them,  and  the  smoke-stack  and 
upper  deck  of  some  steamer  could  be  plainly 
seen. 

The  king  at  once  became  a  different  man. 
There  was  a  promptness  and  bold  self-reliance 

57 


THE    SULTAN'S    RIVAL 

in  him  which  challenged  admiration.  "  Fall 
off  a  few  points ! "  he  called  sharply  to 
Pedro.  "  I  will  have  a  look  at  her."  And  he 
went  swiftly  to  the  cabin  to  bring  his  field- 
glass. 


CHAPTER   VI 

IN     PERIL     AT     CAPE     GHIR 

Bob  felt  distinct  relief  as  the  wild-eyed  man 
left  him.  How  near  Death  had  come  to  him 
he  could  not  say;  but  he  was  obliged  to  admit 
to  himself  that  things  had  looked  pretty  dark 
for  a  few  moments. 

At  once  everybody  on  board  the  Saucy  Kate 
became  alive  to  the  needs  of  the  situation.  Jean 
Smith,  after  examining  the  steamer  carefully, 
ordered  the  helm  put  further  over,  and  a  course 
was  steered  toward  the  southwest,  which  would 
bring  them  under  the  lee  of  the  Canary  Islands, 
forty  miles  away. 

At  first  Bob  hoped  that  the  steamer  would 
overtake  them.  Then  it  occurred  to  him  that 
his  own  position  was  extremely  unsatisfactory;, 
for  no  matter  what  the  nationality  of  the  pur 
suing  ship,  if  she  overtook  the  Saucy  Kate  he 

59 


THE    SULTAN'S    RIVAL 

would  have  difficulty  in  explaining  his  presence 
on  board  of  her.  He  was,  in  the  eye  of  the  law, 
a  member  of  a  piratical  crew,  under  the  pro 
tection  of  no  nation,  and  might  be  dealt  with 
rigorously  as  one  of  a  company  of  freebooters 
who  could  expect  no  leniency. 

So  he  was  not  wholly  displeased,  as  he 
watched  the  on-coming  steamer,  to  perceive  that 
the  Saucy  Kate,  with  her  fair  wind,  was  not 
being  overhauled.  The  distance  between  the 
two  craft  lessened,  but  only  slightly;  and  the 
sun  had  now  set,  and  darkness  would  cover 
the  sea  in  an  hour  or  so. 

This  was  all  entirely  apparent  to  the  cunning 
commander  of  the  Saucy  Kate;  and  he  clanked 
up  and  down  the  deck,  rubbing  his  hands,  and 
smiling  under  his  big  moustache.  As  for  Bob, 
he  leaned  against  the  rail  and  watched  pro 
ceedings  with  keen  interest. 

The  two  ill-featured  fellows  Pedro  and  San 
chez  were  able  seamen,  as  were  also  Lankester 
Diggles  and  the  king;  and  every  stitch  of  can 
vas  was  spread,  and  the  Saucy  Kate  showed  a 

60 


IN    PERIL   AT    CAPE    GHIR 

good  pair  of  heels  to  her  pursuer.  Bob  got 
a  few  words  with  Diggles  from  time  to  time; 
and,  once,  the  king,  passing  near  the  young 
American  lad,  courteously  offered  him  a  look 
through  his  glass.  But  Bob  declined  the  offer 
with  thanks;  he  did  not  wish  to  take  sides  in 
any  way,  or  to  appear  to ;  and  the  king  tossed 
back  his  head  as  if  annoyed  and  resumed  his 
nervous  walk. 

The  people  on  the  steamer  now  saw  that 
they  were  not  gaining  very  rapidly ;  and  a  puff 
of  smoke  rose  from  her,  and  a  ball  skipped 
across  the  water,  more  than  a  mile  astern  of  the 
fleet  schooner.  "Try  it  again!"  broke  out 
the  excitable  commander.  "  Perhaps  you  get 
our  range  and  perhaps  you  get  it  not."  Then 
he  took  a  satisfied  look  at  the  darkening  sky, 
and  added,  "  Whatever  you  do  you  must  be 
quick  about  it."  And  he  laughed  a  dry  hard 
laugh  which  made  Bob  feel  chilly. 

Thus  the  chase  went  on,  but,  by  reason  of 
the  gathering  darkness,  with  lessening  chances 
of  success  for  the  slow  steamer.  Diggles  and 

61 


THE    SULTAN'S    RIVAL 

the  king  discussed  her,  openly,  within  Bob's 
hearing,  and  they  both  agreed  that  she  was 
the  old-fashioned  craft  which  the  Sultan  had 
bought  from  the  Spanish  government  a  few 
months  before,  and  had  put  a  renegade  German 
captain  in  command  of  her. 

At  all  events,  she  faded  from  view  more  and 
more,  and  the  Saucy  Kate  leaped  through  the 
darkness  over  the  white-capped  waves  like  a 
sea  greyhound,  rejoicing  in  her  fleetness,  and 
scornful  of  all  clumsy  pursuers. 

By  ten  o'clock  all  anxiety  was  over,  on  board 
the  schooner,  and  Bob  turned  in,  sleeping  in 
one  of  the  four  berths  in  the  luxurious  cabin, 
two  of  the  others  there  being  reserved  for 
Smith  and  his  "  Premier."  Trump,  the  gray 
parrot,  seemed  to  have  sensed  the  general  ex 
citement,  and  sleepily  demanded,  once  or  twice, 
"  What 's  up?  What 's  up,  I  say?  "  Then  re 
ceiving  no  answer,  he  clicked  softly  a  few 
times,  as  if  telling  himself  how  ill-mannered 
everybody  was. 

The  berth  was  extremely  agreeable  to  Bob 
62 


IN    PERIL   AT    CAPE    GHIR 

Laurie's  aching  bones,  contrasting  favorably 
with  the  hard  planks  and  boxes  whereon  he  had 
recently  slept ;  and  he  did  not  awake  until  nearly 
nine  o'clock;  he  might  have  slept  even  longer, 
had  not  Trump  —  after  eyeing  him  critically 
for  a  time  —  suddenly  broken  out  into  a  series 
of  whip-crackings;  and  these  explosions,  like 
pistol-shots,  roused  Bob  with  a  start,  where 
upon  Trump,  mischievous  creature,  went  off 
into  imp-like  laughter,  as  if  he  greatly  enjoyed 
the  joke. 

Lankester  and  his  chief  both  had  gone  on 
deck.  Bob  soon  went  up,  also,  and  now  saw 
that  the  course  of  the  Saucy  Kate  had  been 
altered,  and  she  was  again  standing  in  toward 
the  African  coast,  but  presumably  at  a  point  far 
south  of  where  she  had  left  the  steamer. 

The  "  King  of  the  Sahara  "  seemed  in  ex 
cellent  spirits.  He  promenaded  the  deck  in 
his  full  military  garb,  and  smiled  on  everybody. 
When  his  glance  fell  on  Bob,  it  darkened  for 
a  moment;  he  had  not  forgotten  his  unwilling 
passenger's  positive  refusal  and  defiance  of  the 

63 


THE    SULTAN'S    RIVAL 

day  before;  but  he  had  not  given  up  hope  of 
winning  the  lad  over;  and  he  advanced  with 
a  smile  and  a  courteous  salute.  "A  beautiful 
day ! "  he  said,  and  Bob  nodded,  saluted,  and 
said  nothing. 

"  All  is  favorable  for  our  plans,"  continued 
the  strange  man.  "  The  weather  is  good,  that 
steamer  has  gone  off  to  look  for  us  at  the 
Canaries,  and  Cape  Ghir,  if  I  mistake  not,  is 
over  there,  ten  miles  away." 

Again  he  offered  his  field-glass  to  Bob,  but 
the  lad  declined  it  with  thanks. 

"  It  is  entirely  simple,  this  expedition,"  re 
sumed  the  king;  "  it  is  —  what  you  call  him  — 
a  —  a  sure  thing.  All  we  do  is  to  land  our 
goods  under  the  lee  of  Cape  Ghir,  where  the 
Khedive  will  be  ready  for  them  with  a  hundred 
men;  with  these  weapons  he  can  arm  a  large 
force  of  his  followers,  and  take  the  throne 
away  from  the  present  Sultan;  then,  when 
once  established,  he  will  back  me  in  gaining 
possession  of  the  Sahara  region ;  and,  with  the 
many  loyal  subjects  which  he  will  govern,  he 

64 


IN    PERIL   AT    CAPE    GHIR 

can  supply  me  with  laborers  to  cut  the  canal 
which  will  let  in  the  Atlantic,  and  make  of  the 
Sahara  an  inland  sea,  thus  opening  up  a  country 
which  is  new  and  has  great  natural  resources. 
Now,  is  it  not  that  that  is  quite  clear  ?  " 

"  Yes,  I  understand  you,"  rejoined  Bob,  to 
whom  the  whole  scheme  seemed  about  the 
wildest  of  all  wild-cat  speculations.  But  he  had 
decided  to  offer  no  open  opposition  at  present. 
It  would  do  no  good,  and  the  man  might  send 
a  pistol-ball  through  him  in  a  second,  if  his 
violent  rage  were  aroused. 

An  hour  or  two  elapsed,  which  Bob  used  in 
sauntering  about  the  deck  and  watching  the 
men.  They  were  not  a  pleasant  lot  to  look  at, 
but  they  did  their  work  well  and  obeyed  orders 
—  perhaps,  in  part,  because  their  commander 
always  carried  his  loaded  pistol  in  plain  view 
and  easy  to  his  hand. 

Lankester  Diggles  was  a  singularly  clever 
young  fellow,  in  all  manual  activity,  childish  as 
he  was  in  his  mental  operations.  He  now 
brought  Master  Trump  on  deck  for  an  airing, 

65 


THE    SULTAN'S    RIVAL 

and  Bob  was  surprised  to  see  that  he  allowed 
the  parrot  his  full  freedom,  even  though 
Trump's  wings  were  not  clipped;  he  flew  from 
one  part  of  the  schooner  to  another,  and  did 
it  with  vigor  and  ease;  but  when  called  with  a 
shrill  whistle  by  Lankester  Diggles,  he  always 
came  to  his  hand. 

''  I  never  saw  a  parrot  obey  as  well  as  he 
does,"  remarked  Bob,  stroking  the  parrot,  who 
seemed  to  like  him. 

"  No,  there  never  was  one,"  replied  his  mas 
ter,  confidently.  :'  His  last  master  before  me 
-  him  that  owned  him  wrhen  the  bull-dog 
nearly  ended  him  —  he  said  to  me  many  a  time, 
'  Lank  '  he  said,  —  he  used  to  call  me  '  Lank,' 
—  '  I  never  heard  of  a  parrot  showing  so  much 
feeling  for  a  human  being.'  And  so  it  wras, 
and  is." 

Trump  seemed  to  keep  one  eye  on  him,  and 
one  on  Bob ;  and  he  pecked  gently  at  Diggles's 
finger  in  silent  assent. 

Attention  was  now  directed  toward  the  land ; 
there  was  a  narrow  strip  of  shore  at  the  base 

66 


IN    PERIL    AT    CAPE    GHIR 

of  high  cliffs ;  and  the  king,  Jean  Smith,  gave 
full  expression  to  his  joy  as  he  made  out  the 
white  patch  on  the  reddish  face  of  the  cliff- 
wall  which  had  been  named  as  the  point  of 
meeting. 

More  than  this,  as  the  Saucy  Kate  now  drew 
further  in,  figures  of  men  and  camels  could  be 
seen  on  the  cliff-front  against  the  clear  sky; 
and  soon  a  few  human  figures  were  observed 
to  be  descending  the  cliff  to  the  edge  of  the 
water.  Most  important  of  all  a  blue  flag  was 
now  descried,  waved  at  the  end  of  a  spear 
by  a  man  on  the  cliff;  and,  upon  that,  Jean 
Smith  ordered  a  Lascar  to  run  up  to  the  fore- 
peak  a  similar  piece  of  bunting  which  he  had 
brought  from  the  cabin. 

Certainly  everything  happened  on  schedule 
time,  as  Bob  remarked  to  himself;  but  the  lad 
hardly  knew  whether  to  be  glad  or  sorry  at 
the  success  thus  far  gained. 

As  the  Saucy  Kate  drew  in  nearer,  all  hands 
eyed  the  shore-line  closely,  to  see  what  places 
offered  a  good  landing;  but,  at  this  point,  dis- 

67 


THE    SULTAN'S    RIVAL 

appointment  faced  them;  for  the  rather  heavy 
wind,  blowing  from  the  Atlantic  on  shore,  sent 
in  great  billows  which  broke  in  a  roar,  with 
heavy  surf;  and  there  were  but  a  few  spots 
along  the  shore  which  were  not  rocky  and 
dangerous. 

The  king  now  gave  the  command  to  anchor, 
a  half-mile  off  shore,  and  fired  two  shots  from 
a  heavy  musket,  —  that  signal  having  been 
agreed  upon  with  the  Khedive.  At  once  two 
puffs  of  smoke  gave  answer  from  the  men  on 
the  cliff,  but  the  sounds  of  the  reports  could 
not  be  heard  against  the  wind. 

The  men  on  the  cliff  could  now  be  made  out, 
easily,  with  the  glass  and  with  the  naked  eye; 
they  were  Arabs,  seemingly,  in  part,  scantily 
clad,  with  a  few  gaily  dressed  Moors ;  and  one 
man  on  a  richly  equipped  riding-camel  probably 
was  the  Khedive.  At  least  the  King  of  the 
Sahara  was  confident  of  this,  although  later 
developments  proved  that  he  was  hasty  in  his 
judgment.  There  were  also  a  few  heavy- 
limbed  draught-camels  and  one  or  two  donkeys. 

68 


IN    PERIL    AT    CAPE    GHIR 

The  people  on  shore  made  signs  for  them  to 
come  ashore,  and  did  not  seem  to  realize  that 
the  heavy  surf  made  this  perilous.  "  There 
is  no  use  in  yelling  ourselves  hoarse,"  declared 
Lank  Diggles,  after  he  had  tried  this  method  in 
vain.  "  I  think  we  can  send  a  message.  I  will 
bunch  together  a  raft,  with  a  bottle  fastened 
to  it,  and  you,  King,  fix  up  a  few  lines  of 
Arabic,  to  say  that  we  must  wait  until  the  sea 
goes  down  a  little." 

"  A  capital  idea,  it  is,  my  Premier,"  declared 
the  king ;  and  he  went  to  the  cabin,  and  by  his 
little  knowledge  of  Arabic  and  with  the  aid  of 
a  phrase-book  constructed  a  few  sentences  of 
the  right  sort;  and  Lankester  Diggles,  clever 
fingered,  quickly  put  together  some  boxes,  with 
an  empty  soda-water  bottle  fastened  to  the  top. 
Into  this  the  message  on  paper  was  thrust, 
hurriedly,  and  the  bottle  corked,  and  the  raft 
was  set  afloat. 

The  wind  bore  it  steadily  toward  the  shore, 
and  all  eyes  on  board  followed  it  eagerly;  the 
natives  on  shore  seemed  to  understand  what 

69 


THE    SULTAN'S    RIVAL 

was  being  done,  and  several  of  them  gathered 
at  a  point  where  the  raft  appeared  likely  to 
drift. 

But,  alas  for  Lankester's  ingenuity,  the  frail 
raft  came  to  grief;  and  the  watchers  on  the 
Saucy  Kate  could  estimate  the  force  of  the 
surf;  for,  when  the  raft  neared  the  rocks,  it 
was  tossed  about  like  a  chip,  and  was  dashed 
into  pieces  and  the  pieces  scattered,  the  bottle 
doubtless  being  shattered. 

Bob  looked  at  Diggles,  and  that  worthy 
knotted  his  brow  and  pondered;  he  gave  up 
the  raft,  but  was  there  not  some  other  way  of 
sending  the  message  ? 

Then  an  idea  came  into  Bob's  brain,  for  he 
had  become  deeply  interested,  despite  his  re 
bellious  feelings.  "  I  say,  Lank,  how  about 
a  kite?  The  wind  is  just  right  for  it." 

'  Just  the  thing !  "  exclaimed  Diggles,  joy 
fully;  and  he  ran  over  the  details  with  his  com 
mander,  and  that  hopeful  adventurer  at  once 
went  toward  the  cabin,  to  construct  over  again 
the  message  to  the  impatient  natives. 

70 


IN    PERIL    AT    CAPE    GHIR 

This  plan  of  the  kite  would  probably  have 
proved  efficacious  had  not  something  else  hap 
pened  to  interfere  with  it.  One  of  the  Lascars, 
looking  off  toward  the  west  and  the  open 
ocean,  set  up  a  tremendous  yelling,  and  fell 
upon  his  knees  and  began  to  pour  out  wild 
prayers.  His  example  was  at  once  followed 
by  his  companions.  And  Bob  Laurie  did  not 
altogether  wonder  at  this  conduct  when  he 
turned  his  own  gaze  toward  the  open  sea ;  for, 
there  in  the  distance,  about  a  mile  away,  rose 
a  great  wall  of  water,  a  hundred  or  two  hun 
dred  feet  high,  and  it  was  rushing  straight 
toward  the  schooner. 

Bob's  heart  nearly  stood  still  for  an  instant. 
It  was  a  monstrous  and  terrifying  sight. 
"  Lank,"  he  cried,  "  it  is  a  tidal  wave.  And  it 
is  coming  straight  down  upon  us." 

Lankester  Diggles  could  not  answer.  He 
stood  aghast,  feet  apart,  mouth  open,  eyes  star 
ing  hard  at  the  dreadful  impending  doom. 


CHAPTER   VII 

THE    TIDAL    WAVE 

Bob  Laurie  stood,  as  did  Lankester  Diggles, 
astounded  at  the  sight  of  the  monstrous  moun 
tain  of  water  sweeping  toward  the  little 
schooner;  not  so  much  like  a  mountain,  it 
seemed  to  the  staring  lad,  as  like  the  long  ex 
tended  brow  of  a  huge  plateau,  reaching  to  the 
south  as  far  as  eye  could  see. 

It  was  a  terrifying  sight,  and  our  hero,  for 
a  moment,  stood  as  helpless  as  did  poor  stupefied 
Lankester  Diggles.  Then  his  American  blood 
asserted  itself,  his  brain  cleared,  and  his  mus 
cles  stood  ready  to  execute  his  brain's  com 
mands.  Bob  had  noted  two  or  three  cans,  half- 
emptied  of  kerosene,  standing  near  the  rail. 
He  shouted  with  all  his  strength  at  Lankester, 
to  rouse  him  and  encourage  him,  "  Lank !  I  say, 
Lank!  Quick!  Come  here!  We'll  get  out  of 

72 


THE   TIDAL   WAVE 

this."  And  he  seized  one  of  the  cans,  unscrewed 
the  cap  and  began  emptying  it.  '  Take  that 
one !  Quick !  "  And  Lank,  now  fully  aroused, 
imitated  him.  "  Give  it  to  me !  There !  Now 
cut  two  pieces  of  rope  off  that  coil  ten  feet 
long!" 

When  Lank  Diggles  got  started  he  was  quick 
and  clever;  and  he  did  what  Bob  ordered  in  a 
very  few  seconds ;  and  during  all  the  time  that 
awful  wall  of  water  was  coming  toward  them 
with  the  speed  of  an  express  train. 

Now  the  cans  were  empty;  and  Bob  ejacu 
lated  "  Life-preservers !  "  and  screwed  on  the 
iron  cap;  and  Lank  did  likewise.  Then  each 
ran  an  end  of  his  rope  through  the  iron  handles 
and  began  to  fasten  it  about  him.  "  Come ! 
Quick !  "  cried  Bob,  and  ran  for  the  bow  of 
the  schooner.  "  Our  only  chance !  Jump,  and 
get  clear  of  the  schooner !  " 

At  that  moment  Lankester  paused,  with 
death  threatening  him,  and  sounded  his  shrill 
whistle  to  Trump.  Even  in  that  instant  the 
stout-hearted  English  lad's  heart  was  true ;  and 

73 


THE    SULTAN'S    RIVAL 

his  shrill  call  cut  the  air  like  a  knife,  rising 
above  the  groans  and  cries  of  the  panic-stricken 
sailors. 

Would  Trump  hear  it?  and  come? 

Yes ;  glancing  back  before  he  took  the  plunge 
which  he  had  planned  from  the  bow,  Bob  saw 
the  gray  parrot  flutter  up  over  and  across  the 
cabin,  then  take  wing  and  come  sailing  toward 
Lank  and  himself.  Upon  that,  with  one  last 
shout  at  Lank,  "Come  along!  Follow  me!" 
the  brave  lad  took  a  header,  curling  around  the 
empty  can  to  hold  it  tight  to  his  body ;  and  the 
next  moment  the  great  wall  of  water  struck 
the  helpless  little  craft  and  treated  it  like  a 
plaything,  buried  it  far  in  its  green  depths, 
and  swept  it  onward  toward  the  shore,  to  com 
plete  the  work  of  destruction. 

Bob  Laurie  had  not  practiced  swimming  in 
the  "  Rollers  "  off  Nantasket  Beach,  near  Bos 
ton,  for  nothing.  He  was  like  a  fish,  in  the 
water.  Upside  down,  or  rolled  over  and  over, 
he  was  master  of  his  movements.  And  as 
soon  as  he  felt  the  initial  lift  of  the  mighty 

74 


THE   TIDAL   WAVE 

surge  he  swam  straight  for  the  top,  holding  his 
breath  and  keeping  his  eyes  open.  His  mind 
was  perfectly  clear.  "  I  am  good  for  over  a 
minute,"  he  said  to  himself;  "  I  Ve  done  it 
often,  and  I  can  do  it  now."  And  he  swam 
hard  upward  and  with  the  water. 

At  first  he  could  see  nothing;  all  was  dark; 
then  the  greenish  color  of  the  water  was 
brought  out  by  the  light,  and  he  knew  he  was 
near  the  top ;  valiantly  he  put  forth  his  strength, 
and  not  once  lost  his  wits.  In  another  second 
or  two  his  head  emerged  above  the  surface. 

He  could  see  nothing  but  water,  and  he  felt 
its  great  speed.  He  drew  a  good  breath,  and 
kept  on.  It  had  not  occurred  to  him  before,  in 
the  excitement  of  his  attempt  to  escape  death, 
but  now  he  remembered  how  numerous  and 
how  fierce  are  the  "  Blue  sharks  "  of  the  Afri 
can  coast.  He  had  seen  many  of  them  from  the 
schooner's  deck,  as  the  cruise  proceeded.  With 
a  shiver  of  dread  he  drew  his  legs  up  under 
him,  as  if  thus  he  might  save  himself  from 
their  cruel  maw  —  if  they  were  near  him. 

75 


THE    SULTAN'S    RIVAL 

This  instinctive  attempt  at  protecting  him 
self  seemed  to  him  absurd  as  soon  as  he  had 
made  it,  and  he  knew  that  he  could  do  little 
or  nothing  if  one  of  the  ferocious  monsters  of 
the  deep  set  upon  him.  But  there  were  many 
perils  crowded  into  the  situation;  and  his  fear 
of  sharks  quickly  lost  itself  in  the  greater  fear 
of  being  drowned  or  dashed  to  pieces  on  the 
rocks.  Where  was  the  land?  Then  he  saw 
the  legs  of  some  creature  —  a  camel  it  was  — 
kicking  above  the  surface  near  him.  Next,  the 
heads  of  two  or  three  men  appeared;  and,  by 
their  long  bushy  hair,  he  knew  they  were 
Arabs.  Now  the  water  around  him  lost  its 
green  and  blue  color  and  became  brown  and 
turbid.  And,  in  a  few  seconds  more,  his  foot 
—  as  he  was  now  treading  water  carefully, 
saving  his  strength  —  struck  against  solid 
ground.  But  the  rush  of  the  flood  still  carried 
him  on,  although  becoming  shallower  each  mo 
ment;  and  several  bodies  of  men  and  animals 
floated  around  him. 

The  water  shallowed  quickly,  now,  and  Bob 
76 


THE   TIDAL   WAVE 

got  to  his  feet,  and  braced  himself,  and  felt  that 
he  was  saved.  But  what  of  Lankester  Diggles  ? 
And  the  Saucy  Kate?  And  all  her  crew  ?  Bob 
shuddered  as  he  thought  upon  it- 

The  colossal  tidal  wave  had  spent  its 
strength;  it  had  hurled  itself  against  the  cliff, 
overtopped  it,  and  had  run  an  eighth  of  a  mile 
inland,  over  the  surface  of  the  desert.  A  large 
part  of  it  ebbed  away  in  the  sand  and  settled 
into  hollows;  a  part  of  it  resurged  and  went 
pouring  back  to  the  edge  of  the  cliff,  and  thun 
dered  down  to  the  shore.  Some  of  the  men 
and  animals  were  carried  back  with  it.  Others, 
like  Bob,  struggled  to  their  feet,  and  stood 
against  it. 

Bob  gazed  around  him,  hoping  to  discover 
Lankester  Diggles;  but  in  vain;  neither  the 
gray  parrot  nor  his  owner  was  to  be  seen. 
And  the  American  lad  began,  mechanically,  to 
unfasten  the  can  which  had  indeed  proved  to 
be  a  life-preserver. 

Seeing  him  thus  harmlessly  employed,  sev 
eral  Arabs,  who  had  started  toward  him  with 

77 


THE    SULTAN'S    RIVAL 

spears  leveled,  lowered  their  weapons  and 
gathered  about  him.  Their  swarthy  faces  were 
savage  in  aspect,  but  they  did  not  harm  him. 
One  of  them  spoke  to  him,  —  in  Arabic  as  Bob 
judged,  and  beckoned  him  to  go  with  them  back 
to  the  brow  of  the  cliff. 

Gradually  all  that  were  left  alive  of  them 
gathered  near  the  edge  and  stared  at  the  shore 
beneath.  There  Bob  saw  the  wreck  of  the 
Saucy  Kate;  a  mass  of  timbers  and  rigging,  a 
hundred  yards  out  among  the  reefs  and  rocks, 
and  not  a  sign  of  a  living  person  to  be  seen. 

The  Arabs,  as  Bob  subsequently  learned, 
were  of  the  Souss  tribe,  a  hardy,  savage  race 
who  have  never  been  subdued  by  the  Sultan  of 
Morocco.  Among  them  stood  a  few  men,  who, 
by  their  turbans  and  ampler  garments,  Bob 
judged  to  be  Moors;  and  one  of  these,  by  his 
richer  dress,  Bob  took  to  be  the  man  whom  the 
King  of  the  Sahara  had  declared  to  be  the 
Khedive. 

If  he  really  was  the  Khedive,  then  he  could 
speak  and  understand  English;  for  Lankester 

78 


THE   TIDAL    WAVE 

had  talked  with  him  in  London.  So  Bob  tried 
him  with  the  direct  inquiry,  "  Are  you  the 
Khedive?" 

But  the  man  only  frowned,  and  addressed 
some  remark  in  Arabic  to  the  Moors  who  stood 
near  him. 

"  Do  you  speak  English  ? "  again  Bob  tried 
him. 

"No!  Understand  no!"  replied  the  man; 
and  from  his  way  of  pronouncing  this,  the  lad 
believed  that  he  did  not  know  any  English.  If 
so,  he  was  not  the  Khedive.  Who  was  he, 
then?  And  Bob  Laurie  felt  his  spirits  sinking 
lower  and  lower,  now  that  the  excitement  of 
his  terrible  struggle  was  over,  and  he  realized 
that  he  was  alone,  in  the  hands  of  a  horde  of 
merciless  Souss  Arabs,  with  death  or  captivity 
before  him. 

The  Arabs  gave  very  little  attention  to  him, 
except  in  the  way  of  staring  at  him  with 
curiosity  and  occasionally  making  feints  of  run 
ning  spears  or  knives  into  him.  One  of  them 
started  to  take  away  his  clothing ;  but  the  Moor, 

79 


THE    SULTAN'S    RIVAL 

who  was  evidently  their  leader,  ordered  the  man 
away,  and  he  obeyed,  after  spitting  at  the  un 
happy  captive,  to  show  his  contempt  for  all 
Nazrani  (Christians). 

An  hour  passed.  Some  degree  of  order  was 
brought  out  of  the  chaos.  Only  a  few  of  the 
Arabs  had  suffered  harm  from  their  submer 
sion.  Those  who  had  been  down  on  the  shore 
were  probably  drowned,  as  were  also  two  or 
three  camels. 

Of  a  sudden,  as  Bob  sat  upon  the  wet  sand, 
himself  drenched  through,  but  rapidly  drying 
off  in  the  hot  rays  of  the  sun  as  he  sat  with 
bowed  head  and  gloomy  forebodings  thinking 
of  home  and  friends,  he  heard  a  voice  cry  out 
in  good  English,  "What's  up?  What's  up? 
What  a  mess !  What 's  up  ?  " 

The  voice  sounded  from  up  in  the  air;  and 
one  quick  curious  glance  sufficed  to  tell  Bob  its 
source.  As  he  raised  his  head  he  saw  a  large 
bird  sailing  restlessly  back  and  forth  over  the 
edge  of  the  cliff  and  down  among  the  rocks; 
and  he  knew,  with  a  leap  of  his  heart,  that  it 

80 


THE   TIDAL   WAVE 

was  the  gray  parrot.  Yes,  wise,  strong-winged 
Trump  had  certainly  saved  himself  when  the 
overwhelming  flood  struck  the  schooner,  and 
now  was  flying  restlessly  about,  and  making  his 
own  sage  comments  upon  the  situation. 

Yes,  it  was  Trump;  but  the  sight  of  him 
recalled  to  Bob  his  master.  Ah,  where  was 
Lankester  ?  And  Bob  grew  mournful  as  he  re 
flected  upon  the  probable  fate  of  his  young 
English  friend;  for  he  had  come  to  like  the 
honest,  though  misguided  lad. 

The  parrot  was  flying  restlessly  about,  as  if 
not  daring  to  come  nearer  these  strange  human 
beings,  yet  not  wishing  to  go  far  away.  At 
once  Bob  bethought  himself  of  Lank's  shrill 
signal  to  his  pet;  and,  rising,  he  tried  to  imi 
tate  it,  and  succeeded  fairly  well.  The  parrot 
narrowed  his  circles,  and  came  nearer,  but  still 
high  in  air;  and  Bob  repeatedly  heard  him 
calling,  "  What 's  up?  What 's  up?  What  a 
mess !  What  a  mess !  " 

As  the  parrot  came  nearer,  having  recognized 
the  call,  one  of  the  Arabs  raised  his  long-bar- 

81 


THE    SULTAN'S    RIVAL 

reled  musket  to  shoot;  and  Bob  sprang  fear 
lessly  toward  the  man  to  stop  him.  Then  he 
remembered  that  the  weapon  had  been  soaked 
in  water  and  could  not  go  off.  So  he  waited, 
and  gave  the  call  again  and  again.  And,  what 
was  his  joy,  to  hear  Trump,  now  coming  closer, 
begin  to  crack  his  whip  with  great  vigor.  So 
Bob  knew  that  the  shrewd  bird  had  recognized 
him. 

"  Come  here,  Trump,  old  boy !  Come  along ! 
Don't  be  afraid !  "  Thus  Bob  called  to  the  par 
rot;  and  the  sound  of  the  English  words  seemed 
to  reassure  him,  and  he  fluttered  nearer  and 
nearer,  and  finally  settled  on  Bob's  upheld  fin 
ger,  and  clicked  and  clicked,  and  seemed  quite 
happy,  although  still  restless. 


82 


CHAPTER   VIII 

TRUMP    SAVES    HIS    MASTER 

The  Moors  and  Arabs  stood  by,  and  were 
speechless  in  wonder.  No  Arab  or  Moor  knows 
what  kindness  to  dumb  animals  is.  The  com 
mon  report  of  the  Arab's  love  of  his  horse  has 
been  encouraged  by  delightful  stories,  but  the 
plain  fact  is  that  in  Morocco  nearly  all  Moors 
and  Arabs  treat  the  lower  animals  with 
cruelty. 

So  that  these  men,  —  who  stood  around  Bob 
Laurie  and  saw  him  call  this  wild,  free  creature 
to  him,  and  saw  him  talking  to  the  bird,  and 
heard  the  bird  talking  in  return,  —  found  it 
all  very  mysterious;  and  they  promptly  ex 
plained  it  to  themselves  and  one  another  in  the 
only  way  in  which  the  natives  of  Morocco  and 
the  desert  explain  all  wonders ;  namely,  by  be 
lieving  that  the  lad  had  magical  powers;  that 

83 


THE    SULTAN'S    RIVAL 

the  feathered  creature  who  thus  obeyed  him 
was  a  djinn,  a  spirit  in  disguise;  and  they  fell 
back  a  little  and  muttered  their  wonder  and 
dread. 

'  Well,  Trump,  old  chap,'*  said  Bob,  as  he 
smoothed  the  parrot's  somewhat  ruffled  plum 
age,  "  you  got  out  of  it  all  right,  I  see.  A 
little  excited,  that 's  all,  and  I  don't  wonder. 
But  where,  O  where,  is  Lank?  Trump,  my 
man,  where  is  Lank?  Lank?  —  where?  " 

Bob  pronounced  these  words  slowly  and 
clearly,  with  a  faint  hope  that  the  sagacious 
bird  might  get  his  meaning.  "  Where  is  Lank? 
Is  he  alive  ?  Go  find  him !  Go  find  him !  " 

The  last  he  spoke  as  one  speaks  to  an  intel 
ligent  dog ;  and  Trump  climbed  restlessly  about, 
up  and  down  the  lad's  arm  and  around  his 
shoulders,  all  the  time  muttering  in  his  deep 
voice  scraps  of  sentences  varied  with  the  creak 
ing  of  a  wheel-barrow  and  the  mewing  of  a  cat 
and  the  barking  of  a  dog.  The  creature  was 
much  excited;  and  several  times  he  half  spread 
his  wings  as  if  to  take  flight. 

84 


TRUMP    SAVES   HIS   MASTER 

Finally  he  did  rise  in  the  air,  and  fluttered 
over  Bob's  head,  jumbling  many  words  to 
gether,  then  flying  away  a  few  yards,  and  then 
returning. 

'  Trump,"  exclaimed  Bob,  "  you  want  me  to 
go  with  you.  I  know  you  do.  And  if  these 
lean,  savage  wretches  will  not  put  a  spear  into 
me,  I  '11  follow  you.  O  Trump,  if  only  you 
could  show  me  Lank,  somewhere !  " 

The  lad's  speech  to  the  clever  creature  was 
like  that  to  a  fellow  human  being;  and,  indeed, 
the  parrot  was  almost  a  human  creature  in  his 
trained  intelligence. 

Bob  started  slowly  after  Trump,  expecting 
each  minute  to  hear  a  command  to  halt,  or  to 
feel  a  spear  between  his  ribs ;  but  he  was  deter 
mined  to  risk  it;  there  was  a  fair  chance  that 
Lank,  with  the  buoyant  can  fastened  to  him, 
might  have  escaped,  when  all  the  others  had 
perished. 

The  Arabs  and  the  Moors  made  no  opposi 
tion  whatever.  They  were  all  astonished  and 
even  terrified ;  their  eyes  were  fixed  on  Bob  and 

85 


THE    SULTAN'S    RIVAL 

his  obedient  djinn;  and,  at  that  moment,  if  the 
lad  had  understood  their  harsh  Arabic  tongue, 
he  could  have  done  anything  he  wished  with 
them;  so  saturated  with  superstition  and  the 
dread  of  djinni  (evil  spirits)  are  these  ignorant 
Mohammedan  tribes. 

So  Bob  followed;  and  Trump  now  cracked 
his  whip  vigorously,  which  was  always  a  sign 
of  joy  on  his  part ;  and  he  led  the  way  along  the 
cliff,  a  distance  of  fifty  yards,  and  then  fluttered 
over  the  edge  and  down  the  steep,  rocky  side. 

The  wondering  natives  had  gathered  into  a 
crowd,  keeping  well  together,  instinctively,  be 
cause  all  of  them  were  fearful  of  what  harm 
might  come  to  them;  and  they  now  followed 
Bob,  and  kept  up  an  excited  jabbering  among 
themselves. 

"  So  it's  down  there,  is  it?"  inquired  the 
anxious  American  lad,  still  talking  to  the  parrot 
as  to  a 'human  being.  "Down  there,  is  it, 
where  you  want  me  to  go?  J: 

And  down  he  clambered,  yard  by  yard  and 
foot  by  foot,  in  considerable  peril  of  his  life,  or 

86 


TRUMP    SAVES    HIS    MASTER 

of  a  fall  which  would  bring  him  broken  bones. 
Down  he  went,  about  twenty-five  feet.  And 
he  called  again  and  again,  "  Lank !  Lank !  Are 
you  there  ?  " 

Now  he  came  to  a  shelving  piece  of  ledge, 
which  jutted  out  from  the  face  of  the  cliff; 
and  he  could  not  climb  down  beyond  it,  because 
the  cliff  hollowed  in  under  it ;  so  he  crept  along 
its  edge  a  few  yards,  still  calling  "Lank! 
Lank!  "  when  he  thought  he  heard  a  groan. 

He  called  again,  and  listened.  Trump  had 
disappeared;  then  he  heard  that  strange  crea 
ture  saying,  "  Come  in !  Come  in !  Don't  knock ! 
Come  right  in!  "  And  immediately  afterward 
Bob  heard  a  human  voice  feebly  crying  out. 

The  lad  at  once  summoned  all  his  strength 
and  courage,  and  let  himself  down  over  the 
end  of  the  ledge,  while  the  crowd  of  Moors 
and  Arabs,  wondering  and  muttering,  stared 
down  from  above. 

Clinging  with  his  fingers,  and  digging  in  his 
toes,  he  pursued  his  perilous  way;  and  a  few 
seconds  sufficed  to  bring  him  to  another  ledge 

87 


THE    SULTAN'S    RIVAL 

below  the  first  one;  this  ledge  ran  back  and 
opened  up  a  shallow  cave  some  ten  feet  deep; 
and  when  Bob  cast  his  eager  glance  into  it  he 
cried  in  joy  and  grief,  "  O  Lank,  I  've  found 
you!  "  For  there  lay  Lankester  Diggles,  help 
less,  bleeding,  unconscious;  and  Trump  was 
walking  nervously  around  him  and  over  him, 
and  saying,  "  Get  up !  Get  up !  It 's  morning. 
Time  to  get  up !  " 

Alarmed  as  Bob  was,  he  could  not  repress  a 
smile  at  the  queer  figure  cut  by  Trump,  with 
his  restless  promenade,  and  his  remarks,  half- 
correct  in  their  application.  But  he  at  once 
knelt  down  beside  the  unconscious  Lank,  and 
untied  the  kerosene  can,  letting  it  clatter  down 
the  cliff,  somewhat  to  the  dismay  of  the  fidgety 
Arabs  above,  who  at  first  thought  it  was  some 
evil  device  of  the  weird  bird. 

Then  Bob  tried  his  friend's  pulse  and  found 
it  beating  strongly;  next,  he  tried  arms  and 
legs,  and  they  seemed  uninjured;  there  was, 
however,  a  scalp  wound  on  the  side  of  the 
head,  just  above  the  left  temple;  and  this  was 

88 


TRUMP    SAVES    HIS    MASTER 

probably  the  cause  of  Lank's  unconscious 
condition. 

Bob  saw  what  had  probably  happened.  The 
English  lad  had  not  got  as  near  the  crest  of 
the  gigantic  wave  as  he  had,  and  had  been 
dashed  against  the  cliff,  being  rolled  in  under 
this  ledge  and  held  there.  Thus  the  blow  on 
his  head  had  come  to  him.  The  pressing  ques 
tion  now  was  whether  or  not  it  was  fatal. 

Bob  deliberated  a  few  moments,  then  stepped 
outside  and  beckoned  to  the  natives ;  they  might 
choose  to  come  down  and  they  might  not.  In 
point  of  fact  they  did  come,  —  eagerly,  yet  cau 
tiously  ;  and,  with  their  lean,  wiry  bodies,  brown 
and  scarred,  and  muscles  hard  as  iron,  they  came 
like  trained  athletes ;  and  a  half  dozen  were  soon 
clinging  around  and  below  the  narrow  ledge. 

Bob  motioned  for  them  to  take  the  uncon 
scious  lad  and  carry  him  up  to  the  level  ground 
on  top  of  the  cliff;  they  seemed  half  ready  to 
do  this,  yet  strangely  reluctant ;  and  they  shook 
their  shaggy  heads  and  scowled  and  hesitated ; 
and  finally  one  of  them  pointed  at  Trump,  who 

89 


THE    SULTAN'S    RIVAL 

was  still  walking  all  over  his  beloved  master 
and  making  his  uncanny  remarks. 

Then  Bob  understood.  He  had  guessed  at 
it  before,  and  now  he  felt  sure;  they  were  in 
mortal  dread  of  the  djinn,  —  Trump,  the  gray 
parrot.  "  If  that 's  all,"  remarked  the  Ameri 
can  lad;  "  we  can  fix  it  easily."  And  he  took 
Trump  on  his  hand,  then  on  his  shoulder,  and 
started  out  and  up  the  cliff. 

This  proceeding  was  quite  beyond  Trump's 
grasp  of  intellect.  He  began  chattering  a  lot 
of  sounds,  and  then  emitted,  "What's  up? 
What 's  up,  I  say  ?  "  But  he  stuck  fast  on  Bob's 
shoulder,  and  the  lad  bore  him  to  a  point  a 
few  feet  above  the  upper  ledge.  At  that  point, 
as  Bob  seated  himself,  Trump  started  to  fly 
back  under  the  ledge ;  but,  on  Bob's  calling  him, 
he  returned  to  the  lad's  shoulder,  yet  kept  up 
an  inarticulate  protest. 

The  Arabs  now  took  up  Lank  and  brought 
him  out,  passing  him  along  with  ease,  so  strong 
were  they ;  and  when  Trump  saw  them  come  up 
toward  him,  with  his  master  borne  along,  he 

90 


TRUMP    SAVES    HIS    MASTER 

flew  up  into  the  air,  and  to  the  top  of  the  cliff, 
and  cracked  whips  like  a  driver  of  a  London 
'bus. 

Thus  Lankester  Diggles  was  rescued  by 
Trump  and  Bob,  to  say  nothing  of  the  assisting 
but  awe-stricken  and  trembling  Arabs. 

Bob  Laurie  fully  understood,  now,  the  ex 
tent  and  limitations  of  his  freedom,  and  the 
cause  of  it.  As  he  kneeled  down  beside  his  un 
conscious  friend,  to  examine  him  more  care 
fully,  the  Moors  and  Arabs  stood  or  sat  in  a 
circle  ten  yards  away,  restless,  ancl  as  if  pre 
pared  to  scatter  and  flee  at  the  least  sign  of  the 
d jinn's  advance  upon  them,  yet  scowling  sav 
agely  at  Bob  whenever  he  looked  toward  them. 

He  found  Lank  breathing  naturally:  but 
little  water  had  entered  his  lungs;  the  blow  on 
his  head  had  causeci  the  trouble;  and  as  the 
American  lad  wiped  his  friend's  face,  and 
bound  a  handkerchief  around  his  head,  and 
talked  in  a  low  soothing  tone  to  him,  the  injured 
lad  opened  his  eyes,  smiled  faintly,  and  spoke. 
"  Good  American !  Good  American !  " 


THE    SULTAN'S    RIVAL 

"  O,  I  'm  so  glad,"  burst  out  poor  anxious 
Bob.  "  It 's  worth  a  million  dollars  to  hear 
your  voice,  Lank.  How  do  you  feel  ?  " 

:(  Better,"  replied  Lank,  and  drew  a  long 
breath;  then  he  opened  his  eyes  and  laid  hold 
of  Bob's  hand.  "  Where  are  we?  " 

The  question  recalled  Bob  to  a  sense  of  their 

desperate  circumstances,  and  he  shook  his  head 

at  Lank.     "  Never  you  mind,"  he  answered. 

'  You  just  hurry  up  and  feel  better  and  better, 

as  fast  as  you  can!  " 

'  Yes  —  I  —  will,"  was  Lank's  feeble  re 
sponse.  Then  his  face  grew  anxious,  and  he 
half  sat  up,  "  Where  is  Trump?  "  he  inquired- 

"  Come  here,  old  chap !  "  directed  Bob,  put 
ting  out  his  finger  to  Trump,  who  had  been 
gravely  striding  up  and  down,  near  by,  like  a 
policeman  on  duty. 

When  Lankester  got  his  pet  on  his  hand 
again,  tears  stood  in  the  honest  fellow's  eyes; 
and,  as  for  Trump,  that  remarkable  bird 
chuckled,  and  clicked,  and  cracked  no  end  of 
whips,  —  at  which  several  Arabs  sprang  up 

92 


TRUMP    SAVES    HIS    MASTER 

and  fled,  —  and  prattled  off  into  scraps  of  the 
French  and  German  languages,  which  he  had 
learned  at  Oxford. 

The  hours  passed;  the  warm  sun  was  good 
for  the  injured  and  water-soaked  English  lad. 
Most  of  the  savage  natives  went  down  to  the 
beach  to  gather  what  they  could  from  the 
wreck,  which  lay  half  out  of  water  on  a  jagged 
reef. 

Night  came  on,  and  the  two  lads  stretched 
themselves  on  the  sand  in  the  open  and  slept, 
Trump  nestling  beside  his  master,  and  at  times 
softly  talking  over  to  himself  the  exciting 
events  of  the  day. 

The  Arabs  were  awake  and  busy  early  in  the 
morning.  They  knew  about  the  arms  and  am 
munition  on  the  schooner,  but  could  not  reach 
her  by  reason  of  the  high  surf.  Trump  found 
himself  hungry,  and  went  off  foraging  for 
food;  he  discovered  limpets  on  the  rocks  among 
the  sea-weed,  and  easily  crushed  their  shells 
with  his  strong  beak,  and  made  a  good  break 
fast.  Later  he  flew  out  to  the  wreck,  and 

93 


THE    SULTAN'S    RIVAL 

seemed  to  be  examining  it  skillfully.  "  He  's 
trying  to  decide,"  remarked  Lankester  with  a 
smile,  "  whether  it  '11  be  worth  while  to  raise 
the  craft  again.  O,  he  's  a  wonder,  that  bird." 

Although  his  head  was  sore,  the  English  lad 
felt  well  otherwise,  and,  while  the  parrot  was 
off  on  his  little  expeditions,  the  Moors  and 
Arabs  came  close  to  them,  and  one  or  two  of 
the  more  cruel  ones  threatened  them  with  knife 
or  spear;  but  these  rash  fellows  were  checked 
by  others,  who  could  not  forget  the  djinn  and 
his  obedience  to  those  two  Nazrani  (Chris 
tians). 

The  Moors  and  Arabs  got  into  disputes  over 
the  various  articles  which  washed  ashore  from 
the  schooner;  and,  late  in  that  afternoon,  an 
other  Moor,  with  several  Arabs,  appeared,  and 
seemed  to  be  the  person  of  greatest  authority 
in  all  the  company.  This  man,  coming  near  the 
lads,  said,  "Tangier;  Tangier;"  and  pointed 
toward  himself.  By  which  Bob  understood 
that  the  man  had  at  some  time  been  in  that 
town  on  the  strait  of  Gibraltar. 

94 


TRUMP    SAVES    HIS    MASTER 

Both  the  lads  tried  to  make  the  man  under 
stand  that  if  he  would  take  them  to  Tangier 
they  could  get  money  for  him,  as  their  ransom. 
And  he  nodded  and  nodded,  but  his  eyes  were 
not  sincere,  and  his  whole  face  was  brutal  and 
cruel. 


95 


CHAPTER   IX 

CAPTIVES    IN    THE    DESERT 

Bob  Laurie  sat  upon  the  loose,  dark-red  sand 
of  the  desert,  and  said  to  himself  that  he  was 
in  the  worst  situation  of  his  whole  life.  He  took 
up  some  of  the  red  sand  on  his  palm  and  let  it 
trickle  like  water  (so  fine  and  mobile  it  was)  be 
tween  his  fingers  and  back  to  the  ground.  His 
action  was  largely  mechanical;  his  mind  was 
absorbed  in  gloomy  memories  of  home,  and  in 
plans  for  an  escape  from  his  unhappy  condition. 
The  Souss  Arabs,  with  their  long,  bushy  beards 
and  long,  tangled  hair,  and  naked  save  for  a  loin 
cloth,  were  greedily  busy  gathering  what  frag 
ments  they  could  from  the  wreck  of  the  Saucy 
Kate.  The  Moors,  with  their  jellebeeahs,  or 
gowns,  and  their  turbans,  and  their  more  re 
served  and  dignified  manners,  kept  somewhat 
by  themselves,  and  seemed  to  be  discussing  the 

96 


CAPTIVES    IN    THE   DESERT 

white  lads  who  had  so  strangely  come  into 
their  country. 

Lankester  Diggles,  now  quite  recovered  from 
his  half-drowned  state,  was  walking  restlessly 
about;  and  he  went,  from  time  to  time,  to  the 
brow  of  the  cliff  and  scanned  the  shore  and  the 
wreck.  "  Lank,"  asked  Bob,  "where  is  Trump? 
I  have  n't  seen  him  since  yesterday." 

"  Exactly,"  was  the  English  lad's  mournful 
reply.  "  No  more  have  I.  Something  must 
have  happened  to  that  bird." 

Bob  roused  himself  now  from  his  gloomy, 
dreamy  state.  "  Perhaps  he  has  gone  off,  Lank, 
to  look  after  himself.  Precious  little  are  we 
able  to  do  for  him." 

But  Lank  shook  his  head,  confidently.  "  I 
know  Trump  better  than  that,"  he  declared. 
"  He  would  n't  leave  me.  Depend  upon  it, 
something  has  happened  to  him." 

The  boys  gave  a  forlorn  glance  around  the 
sky  as  if  they  hoped  they  might  discover  the 
parrot  somewhere ;  but  in  vain ;  no  sign  of  him ; 
indeed,  no  sign  of  bird  life  or  animal  life  in  all 

97 


THE   SULTAN'S    RIVAL 

the  wide  expanse  of  glaring  sky  and  desert 
waste,  except  the  human  figures  and  their  four- 
footed  animals.  Hardly  a  scrap  of  vegetation 
was  visible.  Near  the  boys  lay  one  or  two  dead 
locusts,  brown  and  red  like  the  sand,  and  nearly 
two  inches  long.  Bob  picked  up  one,  idly,  and 
the  creature  crumbled  in  his  fingers  like  ashes ; 
it  had  lain  there  dead  for  months;  dry  and 
dead  like  the  desert  it  was,  and  a  fitting  symbol 
of  the  boys'  hopes. 

"  Well,  Lank,"  remarked  Bob,  bitterly,  after 
a  sad  silence,  "  what  do  you  think  now  of  the 
King  of  the  Sahara  and  his  plan  of  a  sea- 
canal?" 

Lank  reflected  a  few  moments,  and  then  re 
sponded.  "  Well,  I  admit  that  the  whole  busi 
ness  has  gone  under,  now;  but  accidents  will 
happen;  that  tidal  wave  smashed  everything; 
if  that  had  n't  come  along  we  had  a  good 
chance,  I  still  believe.  Timbuctoo  is  a  big  in 
land  city,  lying  somewhere  over  there,  I  judge." 
And  he  extended  his  arm  toward  the  southeast. 
"  It  does  a  great  caravan  business  with  the  sea- 

98 


CAPTIVES    IN   THE    DESERT 

ports  and  Europe;  if  only  a  canal  could  have 
been  cut  —  but  there !  It 's  no  use  to  cry  over 
spilt  milk." 

Bob  smiled,  despite  his  melancholy.  "  How 
far  away  do  you  suppose  Timbuctoo  is,  any 
way?" 

Lank  reflected  a  little  and  answered,  "  O, 
perhaps  —  perhaps  fifty  miles." 

"Fifty  fiddlesticks!"  blurted  out  Bob. 
'"'  Why,  it 's  five  hundred  if  it 's  a  mile;  and  a 
canal  as  long  as  that  would  be  impossible." 

"  But  you  forget,"  persisted  Lankester  Dig- 
gles,  who  was  a  tenacious  lad.  "  The  canal 
needed  to  be  dug  only  a  short  distance;  the 
entire  level  of  the  Sahara  and  of  Timbuctoo  is 
much  below  the  level  of  the  Atlantic  Ocean; 
there  is  a  deep  bay  somewhere  along  this  coast; 
and,  starting  in  there,  if  the  canal  could  be  cut 
through  a  few  miles,  the  ocean  would  flow  in 
and  make  a  great  inland  sea." 

This  idea  seemed  quite  a  comfort  to  Lan 
kester  ;  but  Bob  pricked  the  bubble  of  his  dream 
by  saying,  with  a  smile :  "  A  fine  inland  sea 

99 


THE    SULTAN'S    RIVAL 

you  would  have;  you  would  submerge  Timbuc- 
too,  and  bury  the  whole  scheme  a  hundred  fath 
oms  under  the  water.  But  we  are  fools  to  talk 
about  it."  Here  he  gave  a  sigh.  "  The  thing 
is,  now,  how  can  we  get  back  to  England  and 
America,  alive  ?  " 

'  Just  so,"  echoed  his  companion,  dejectedly; 
and,  coming  back  to  realities,  "  how  can  we?  " 

At  this  point  an  incident  occurred  wrhich  drew 
the  boys'  attention,  for  a  time,  away  from  their 
gloomy  thoughts.  They  saw  several  Arabs 
gather  in  a  circle,  a  half  hundred  yards  away, 
and  in  the  center  of  the  circle  stood  two  men; 
one  was  an  Arab  and  the  other  was  a  Moor. 

The  boys  had  a  fair  share  of  curiosity  in 
their  natures,  and  when  Lank,  rising  and  look 
ing,  suggested  "  Let 's  go  over  and  see  what 's 
up,"  Bob  was  not  unwilling  to  join  him. 

They  went  nearer,  —  not  dismayed  by  the 
scowling  looks  which  several  savage  fellows 
cast  upon  them,  —  ancl  they  saw  that  the  Arab 
had  been  wounded  on  the  shoulder,  doubtless 
during  one  of  the  fierce  wrangles  which  had 

100 


CAPTIVES    IN    THE    DESERT 

taken  place  over  the  prisoners  and  the  wreck 
age;  and  the  Moor  seemed  to  be  a  sort  of 
medicine-man,  and  was  to  treat  him,  as  a 
patient. 

The  Arab,  a  young,  lean,  scarred  fellow,  stood 
before  the  Moor,  raised  his  hands  high  in  air, 
and  seemed  to  be  repeating  phrases  of  some 
charm  or  incantation,  which  the  Moorish  medi 
cine-man  lined  out  to  him.  Next  the  Moor  took 
a  reed,  which  had  probably  been  cut  in  some 
nearby  cave  along  the  shore,  and  split  it  length 
wise  with  a  long,  curved  dagger.  Then  he  drew 
from  under  his  robe  a  little  box,  and  took 
therefrom  some  sort  of  thick  juice,  with  which 
he  anointed  both  pieces  of  the  reed.  Next,  the 
Arab  —  who  seemed  and  probably  was  more 
nervous  and  timid  than  he  would  have  been 
if  facing  an  armed  enemy  —  was  given  the 
split  pieces  to  hold  horizontally,  about  an  inch 
or  two  apart.  Along  between  these  pieces  the 
medicine-man  now  passed  the  dagger  blade, 
sometimes  slowly,  sometimes  rapidly,  muttering 
mysterious  words  as  he  did  so.  He  kept  this 

101 


THE    SULTAN'S    RIVAL 

up  nearly  five  minutes ;  and  the  monotony  of  it 
seemed  to  produce  a  kind  of  fascination,  a 
hypnotic  influence,  on  all  the  spectators,  and 
doubtless  on  the  patient. 

Then  the  medicine-man  gave  vent  to  a  loud 
yell ;  and  everybody  half  sprang  up,  startled  by 
this  sudden  change  from  quiet  and  the  drowsy 
effect  of  the  dagger-movement. 

At  once  the  Moor  seized  the  two  pieces  of 
reed,  cut  them  into  small  pieces,  struck  them 
lightly  upon  the  wounded  shoulder,  and  gave 
them  to  his  patient ;  and  he,  carrying  them  care 
fully  at  arm's  length  before  him  as  if  they  had 
been  poisonous  snakes,  bore  them  away  a  dozen 
paces  and  buried  them  in  the  sand,  stamping 
on  the  spot,  afterward,  and  again  lifting  his 
hands  high  in  air. 

This  was  the  end;  and  all  the  men,  Moors 
and  Arabs,  arose  quickly,  as  if  uneasy,  and 
glad  to  get  away  from  the  scene  of  the  incan 
tation. 

"  Well,"  remarked  Bob,  with  a  chuckle,  "  I 
hope  that  chap  will  heal  up  all  right.  I  wonder 

1 02 


CAPTIVES    IN   THE   DESERT 

how  much  of  a  doctor's  bill  he  will  have  to  pay. 
A  good  big  one,  I  '11  warrant.  They  say  that 
these  magic-working  fellows  get  a  lot  out  of 
the  ignorance  and  superstition  of  their  victims. 
I  suppose  if  we  could  have  understood  that 
long  rigmarole  of  his,  we  would  have  heard 
a  lot  about  djinni  and  such  things ;  Morocco  is 
full  of  that  sort  of  stuff.  But  we  must  brace 
up,  Lank;  see  those  fellows  over  there?  They 
have  been  looking  at  us  and  probably  talking 
about  us ;  and  now  they  have  started  this  way. 
Keep  a  stiff  upper  lip,  Lank,  and  we  may  pull 
through,  yet;  but  just  how  I  don't  quite  see." 


103 


CHAPTER   X 

ADVANCE   AND   ATTACK 

The  man  who  was  evidently  the  leader  of 
the  Moors,  and  of  the  whole  company,  in  fact, 
Arabs  and  all,  wore  a  jellebeeah  of  creamy 
white,  with  gold  bands  woven  into  it;  and  on 
his  head  was  a  white  turban  with  a  bright  green 
fold  intertwined.  This  green  turban  was  a 
sign  that  he  had  made  the  pilgrimage  to  the  holy 
Moslem  city,  Mecca,  and  he  therefore  was  given 
higher  honor  than  ordinary  men. 

The  man  advanced  to  the  uneasy  lads  and 
said,  pointing  to  himself,  "  Shereef  Hassan. 
Shereef  Hassan." 

Bob  at  once  grasped  this  easy  idea ;  he  knew 
that  the  Arabic  word  "  Shereef  "  was  a  title 
of  honor,  partly  political  and  partly  religious, 
and  was  about  equal  to  the  British  title  Sir. 
So  he  nodded,  and  tried  to  smile,  and  pointed 
to  himself,  saying  "  Laurie."  Then  he  pointed 

104 


ADVANCE   AND   ATTACK 

toward  Lank  and  said  "  Biggies."  Whereat 
the  Shereef  smiled  in  a  plausible  fashion,  and 
repeated  these  words  after  him.  Then,  narrow 
ing  his  eyes  in  a  keen  and  cunning  way,  he  said 
something  to  Bob,  and  repeated  his  words. 

Bob  tried  hard  to  get  hold  of  the  man's  mean 
ing,  but  in  vain.  "  What  does  he  say,  Lank?  " 
he  asked.  "  Can  you  get  hold  of  it  ?  I  can't." 

"  Sounds  like  a  question  of  some  sort,"  ven 
tured  Lank,  knitting  his  brows.  "  But  it  beats 
me.  I  can't  make  head  or  tail  of  it." 

The  Shereef  glanced  quickly  from  one  to  the 
other  of  the  lads,  as  if  he  hoped  they  would 
get  his  meaning.  Then  he  frowned,  and  mut 
tered  some  sort  of  malediction  about  Allah; 
but  the  next  moment  his  face  brightened,  and 
he  turned  and  addressed  a  few  words  to  the 
Moor  who  stood  near  him;  and  the  two  went 
away  together  over  to  the  hillock  where  their 
camels  were  tethered.  There  they  unpacked  a 
large  bundle,  searched  through  it,  and  came 
rapidly  back,  the  Shereef  bearing  a  small  book 
or  pamphlet  in  his  hands. 

105 


THE    SULTAN'S    RIVAL 

He  held  this  up  before  Bob's  eyes,  with  a 
smile  of  satisfaction ;  and  the  American  lad  at 
once  saw  that  the  paper-covered  and  much- 
thumbed  book  was  a  phrase-book  in  English, 
Spanish,  and  Arabic,  such  as  every  tourist  in 
Tangier  sees  in  the  shops ;  the  same  words  and 
phrases  were  given  in  all  three  languages,  and 
the  Arabic  had  a  phonetic  key ;  because  printed 
Arabic  is  utterly  unintelligible,  in  sound  as  well 
as  sense,  to  a  European.  In  fact  it  looks,  as 
Lank  staring  over  Bob's  shoulder  remarked, 
"  Like  a  lot  of  angle-worms  cut  up  and  strewed 
around." 

But  with  this  phrase-book  Bob  and  the  Sher- 
eef  made  great  progress.  Bob's  first  achieve 
ment  was  in  reading  aloud,  as  a  salutation,  the 
words  "  Essalam-aleikoum !  "  (Peace  be  with 
you!)  And  the  Shereef's  face  brightened,  and 
he  poured  out  a  volume  of  Arabic  which  meant 
no  more  to  the  boys  than  a  heavy  shower  of 
rain. 

But,  having  made  a  start,  Bob  worked  along 
into  a  clumsy  sort  of  conversation;  and  the 

1 06 


"  You  shall  swear  allegiance  to  me  here  and  now, 

or   " 

See  page  jy 


ADVANCE   AND    ATTACK 

Shereef 's  purpose  became  clearer.  He  said  that 
the  boys  were  the  property  of  Sheikh  Sidi  Ab 
dul,  a  powerful  Souss  Arab  who  seemed  to 
be  a  leader  among  his  people.  But  the  Shereef 
could  buy  the  captives  and  take  them  to  Mar- 
rakesh  (Morocco  City)  if  he  felt  sure  of  being 
well  repaid  with  ransom  money.  "  Do  you 
know  anybody  in  Marrakesh,"  he  asked,  with 
a  shrewd  piercing  glance,  "  who  will  ransom 
you  if  I  take  you  there?  " 

Bob  was  a  bit  staggered  by  this  direct  ques 
tion  ;  but  he  felt  that  this  was  a  situation  which 
opened  out  either  into  life  or  death;  death  if 
he  was  carried  away  into  the  Sahara  desert  by 
Sheikh  Sidi  Abdul,  and  life  if  he  could  get  up 
north  to  some  city  or  town  where  dwelt  Euro 
peans.  So  he  answered  as  steadily  as  he  could, 
"  Yes,  I  know  somebody  in  Marrakesh.  I  have 
a  friend  there." 

Then  came  the  quick,  keen  inquiry,  "  What  is 
your  friend's  name?  "  And  for  a  moment  Bob 
was  nonplussed. 

Yet  on  the  instant  the  idea  came  to  him,  and 
107 


THE    SULTAN'S    RIVAL 

he  replied,  boldly,  "  Consul  is  my  friend's  name. 
Consul."  And  this  was  at  least  half-true;  for 
any  British  or  American  Consul,  if  reached, 
would  undoubtedly  ransom  them,  and  receive 
reimbursement  from  the  home-government. 

Shereef  Hassan  fell  into  a  deep  mood  of  re 
flection,  and  went  away,  conversing  with  the 
other  Moors.  "  They  are  taking  account  of 
us,  like  so  much  stock,"  commented  Bob,  ner 
vously.  :'  Heaven  grant  that  they  may  dare  to 
invest  in  us." 

"  I  think  they  will,"  rejoined  Lankester,  hope 
fully.  "  Anyway,  I  'd  be  dead  already,  if  it 
had  n't  been  for  you,  Laurie,  and  - 

"  Make  it  '  Bob,' ' '  interrupted  our  young 
friend.  :(  Bob  it  is  out  in  this  horrible  country, 
and  wre  the  only  two  decent  people  in  sight ;  " 
and  he  smiled,  and  then  felt  more  like 
crying. 

"  Well  then,  Bob,  as  you  say  so ;  but  I  owe 
my  life  to  you,  and  if  ever  - 

"  There!  There!  "  broke  in  Bob,  generously; 
"  not  to  me,  rather  to  Trump.  And,  by  the 

1 08 


ADVANCE   AND    ATTACK 

way,  where  can  that  remarkable  bird  be? 
Something  must  have  happened  to  him." 

A  turn  in  affairs  now  drove  their  personal 
matters  from  the  boys'  minds.  Sidi  Abdul  came 
striding  up  to  them,  followed  by  several  persons, 
—  two  of  whom  were  women,  partly  veiled,  — 
who  were  presumably  members  of  his  fam 
ily.  In  a  harsh  guttural  tone  he  ordered  the 
bovs  to  follow  him;  and  one  of  the  women, 

tf 

grinning  in  a  malicious  fashion,  gave  each 
of  the  lads  a  hard  blow  over  the  back  with  a 
stick. 

"  Mum's  the  word,"  suggested  Bob,  as  Lank 
emitted  some  angry  retort.  "  Our  best  chance 
is  in  being  submissive.  These  people  don't  set 
a  very  high  value  on  us,  and  if  they  get  angry 
would  run  us  through  with  one  of  those  wicked 
looking  spears  about  as  easily  as  they  would 
wink." 

Sidi  Abdul  led  the  way,  and  was  followed 
inland  by  a  dozen  or  more  people,  leading 
camels,  a  donkey  or  two,  and  a  few  goats.  The 
loose,  reddish  sand  was  hard  for  the  boys  to 

109 


THE    SULTAN'S   RIVAL 

walk  in;  but  the  Arabs  made  little  of  it;  and 
the  tall,  gaunt  camels  spread  their  huge,  sponge- 
like  feet  upon  it  and  sank  a  trifle  into  it.  A 
mile  was  traveled  in  this  way,  Bob  and  Lank 
looking  back,  at  times,  hoping  to  see  the  Moors 
following.  "  A  pretty  poor  show  for  us,"  said 
Bob,  despondently.  '  That  Shereef  concluded 
not  to  invest  in  us,  I  reckon." 

But  worse  was  yet  to  come;  as  the  unfor 
tunate  lads  found  when  they  reached  a  small 
encampment  of  tents,  —  low,  black  habitations, 
propped  on  a  dozen  sticks  not  eight  feet  high, 
—  where  other  members  of  the  Sheikh's  family 
were  awaiting  him. 

One  of  the  women,  a  toothless,  cruel-look 
ing  old  hag,  —  but  the  leader  of  the  Sheikh's 
household,  —  now  took  charge  of  the  boys ;  and 
men,  women  and  children  gathered  around,  and 
laughed  and  jeered  as  she  searched  the  boys 
and  took  away  all  their  little  possessions,  and 
then  took  away  some  of  their  clothes.  Both 
boys  were  in  their  stocking  feet,  having  kicked 
off  their  shoes  when  they  left  the  Saucy  Kate. 

no 


ADVANCE   AND   ATTACK 

The  old  woman,  Taipha,  took  away  their  stock 
ings,  but  gave  them  some  rude  sandals  made  of 
camel's  hide.  At  times  the  children  stole  near 
and  pinched  the  captives,  or  stuck  thorns  into 
their  legs  and  arms,  until  Lank,  highly  wrath 
ful,  bestowed  on  one  of  them  a  rousing  kick, 
which  landed  the  cruel  little  urchin  on  his  face 
in  the  sand  several  feet  away. 

This  served  simply  as  a  diversion;  the  older 
people  laughed,  and  the  discomfited  boy  stole 
away,  and  made  faces  at  Lank  from  a  safe 
distance. 

The  Arabs  ate  but  two  meals  each  day,  and 
were  none  too  generous  in  the  portions  they 
gave  to  their  white  captives.  Water  was  a 
scarce  article,  and  on  the  second  day  of  their 
march,  the  boys  were  given  only  about  a  gill 
apiece,  from  a  little  gourd.  The  Arabs  were 
very  strict  in  observing  their  devotions,  Sheikh 
Abdul  standing  apart  from  the  whole  company, 
and  acting  as  leader.  They  washed  themselves 
with  the  fine,  dry  sand  as  if  it  had  been  water, 
then  bowed  many  times  to  the  ground,  then 

in 


THE    SULTAN'S    RIVAL 

raised  their  hands  toward  the  sky,  meanwhile 
repeating  in  loud  tones  sentences  which  Bob 
thought  must  be  sentences  from  the  Mohamme 
dan  holy-book,  the  Koran.  At  times  the  word 
Allah  or  Allah  Akbar  (God  is  great)  could  be 
distinguished,  but  most  of  their  exclamations 
and  ejaculations  were  wholly  unintelligible. 

The  boys  were  not  confined  in  any  way ;  their 
captors  seemed  to  have  no  fear  of  their  trying 
to  escape.  They  were  made  to  help  about  the 
camp,  when  night  came  on,  and  were  sent  out, 
with  one  or  two  of  the  boys  or  women,  to  gather 
fuel;  this  fuel,  in  the  main,  consisted  of  dry 
sticks  and  twigs  and  roots,  and  was  used  most 
sparingly,  a  little  supply  being  kept  on  hand, 
and  carried  forward  each  day  to  the  next  camp 
ing-place.  When  Bob  —  who  tried  to  learn 
what  he  could  of  the  language  —  asked  the  at 
tendant  old  woman,  as  they  were  collecting  fuel, 
where  they  were  directing  their  course,  she 
grinned  but  gave  no  reply.  Then  he  suggested 
the  word  "  Tangier."  And  she  nodded  and 
broke  out  into  hearty  laughter. 

112 


ADVANCE   AND    ATTACK 

"  And  all  the  time,"  remarked  Bob,  "  we 
know  she  is  lying.  Don't  we,  Lank?  " 

"  Lying  like  Satan  himself,"  confirmed  the 
British  lad,  vigorously.  "  I  have  n't  watched 
the  stars  and  the  sun  for  nothing  all  these  years. 
And  I  'm  dead  sure  that  we  are  headed  about 
southeast,  instead  of  north." 

"  That  means  Timbuctoo,  instead  of  Tan 
gier,  I  take  it,"  was  Bob's  comment,  quite 
calmly,  yet  his  calmness  was  that  of  despair. 
For  the  boys  were  feeling  the  effect  of  their 
harsh  treatment  and  their  scanty  diet ;  and  even 
if  they  survived  the  journey,  only  a  life  of 
slavery  awaited  them  in  the  mysterious  me 
tropolis  of  the  Sahara. 

The  Arabs  treated  them  with  increased  rigor 
and  cruelty ;  it  was  clear  that  the  physical  infe 
riority  of  the  captives  aroused  the  scorn  of  their 
hardy  captors;  and  the  children  were  allowed 
to  torment  them,  about  as  they  chose.  "  Are 
you  getting  discouraged?  "  asked  Bob  at  times 
of  Lankester  Diggles;  and  that  stout-hearted 
Britain  always  replied  that  he  had  not  given 


THE    SULTAN'S    RIVAL 

up  hope.  Then  they  usually  fell  to  discussing 
what  chances  of  escape  or  rescue  they  had.  At 
any  time  there  was  a  possibility  of  their  meeting 
some  party  or  caravan  that  would  buy  them, 
out  of  kindness,  or  hope  of  ransom-money,  in 
some  northern  city;  but  now  that  the  Moorish 
Shereef  Hassan  had  not  thought  well  enough 
of  them  as  an  investment  to  take  them,  there 
was  little  likelihood  that  anybody  else  would 
do  so. 

The  hours  dragged  so  heavily  that  they  felt 
as  if  they  had  been  out  on  the  open  desert  many 
days;  but  in  reality,  it  was  only  after  about 
forty  hours  from  the  coast  that  an  agreeable 
surprise  came  to  them,  which  cheered  them  and 
aroused  hope  anew  in  their  drooping  hearts. 

It  was  late  afternoon,  that  day,  when  the 
captive  boys,  who  were  plodding  along  side  by 
side  not  far  behind  the  last  camel,  were  aroused 
from  the  dull,  half -asleep  state  into  which  they 
had  fallen  by  the  sound  of  an  English  voice; 
at  least  it  spoke  English  words ;  and  these  words 
were,  "  I  say;  I  say;  what 's  the  matter?  " 

114 


ADVANCE   AND   ATTACK 

The  voice  dropped  down  to  them  as  if  from 
the  sky;  and  both  boys  stopped  short  in  their 
tracks  and  stared  upward.  At  first  they  could 
see  nothing,  for  the  twilight  was  gathering 
fast.  Then  the  voice  again  was  wafted  down 
to  them  out  of  the  dusky  sky.  "I  say;  I 
say;  what's  the  matter?  Whatever  is  the 
matter?" 

In  an  instant  Bob  and  Lank  knew  what 
had  happened.  Trump,  the  sagacious,  strong- 
winged,  clear-eyed  parrot,  had  followed  and 
found  them,  and  was  calling  to  them  from  the 
air  above. 

Now,  a  caravan  travels  on  the  desert  with 
very  little  noise,  unless  there  is  scolding  or 
wrangling  going  on  among  its  human  members. 
The  feet  of  the  four-footed  creatures  and  two- 
footed  creatures  alike  make  hardly  any  sound 
on  and  in  the  yielding  sand.  Occasionally  a 
dog  barks;  but  it  is  at  night,  after  camping, 
that  the  dogs  become  noisy;  and  a  camel  at 
times  grumbles  with  a  hollow  roar  not  unlike 
the  roar  of  a  lion ;  but,  in  general,  a  large  cara- 


THE    SULTAN'S    RIVAL 

van  will  proceed  almost  noiselessly,  for  hours, 
across  the  great  ocean  of  sand. 

So  that  when  this  sentence,  this  greeting, 
came  floating  down  from  above,  —  in  that  deep 
and  almost  human  tone  which  the  African  par 
rot,  of  all  parrots,  possesses,  —  then  there  was 
a  general  movement  of  surprise  and  a  pause  of 
inquiry  throughout  the  whole  Arab  company. 

Bob  was  made  silent  by  his  wonder  and  joy 
at  the  sound;  but  Lank  roused  himself,  and 
instantly  called  loudly:  "  Trump!  Trump!  I  say, 
old  fellow,  come  down  here!  Yes,  come 
straight  down!  Come  Trump,  don't  be 
afraid !  —  "  And  so  on,  reaching  up  his  arms, 
and  pouring  out  a  steady  stream  of  greetings, 
as  if  to  some  human  guest  who  doubted  his 
hospitality. 

But  Trump  did  not  doubt  Lankester  Diggles. 
They  were  friends  of  too  long  standing.  And 
as  soon  as  his  beloved  master  raised  his  voice 
in  reply,  the  gray  fellow  came  into  view,  wheel 
ing  in  great  circles  fifty  yards  over  their  heads, 
and  drawing  nearer  with  each  circling.  "  Come 

116 


ADVANCE   AND   ATTACK 

down,  Trump,  come  down!"  called  Lank. 
"  Never  you  fear!  Come  straight  here!  "  And 
the  parrot  now  began  cracking  whips,  at  the 
rate  of  two  a  second,  and  dropped  and  fluttered, 
and  settled  upon  Lank's  shoulder. 

It  was  a  touching  reunion;  Bob  stood  near, 
with  eyes  a  bit  moist,  —  partly  perhaps  because 
he  was  a  little  weak  from  hunger  and  fa 
tigue,  —  and  watched  the  two  friends,  master 
and  pet.  Lank  talked  softly  and  tenderly  to 
Trump,  and  tried  to  caress  him  and  scratch  his 
big,  wise  head,  but  Trump  was  so  excited  that 
he  could  not  stand  still;  and  he  walked  and 
climbed  all  over  Lank's  shoulders  and  head, 
uttering  many  broken  phrases  in  many  lan 
guages,  at  times  leaving  these  off  to  crack 
whips  once  more. 

Bob  and  Lank  exchanged  remarks  and 
guesses  about  Trump's  unexpected  appearance ; 
how  had  he  found  them?  Why  had  he  been 
absent  when  they  left  the  shore? 

The  conclusion  which  they  reached  was  that 

the  active  bird  had  gone  on  board  the  wreck 

117 


THE    SULTAN'S    RIVAL 

of  the  Saucy  Kate,  where  everything  was  fa 
miliar  to  him,  and  had  entered  the  cabin  or 
the  hold,  and  had  been  shut  in  by  the  swinging 
of  some  door,  as  the  wreck  swayed  upon  the 
rocks  amid  the  breakers. 

At  any  rate  he  had  somehow  got  free,  and 
had  found  his  master  again,  after  perhaps 
many  miles  of  wide-circling  search.  And  the 
effect  of  his  arrival  on  the  savage  but  super 
stitious  Souss  Arabs  was  much  what  Bob  had 
anticipated.  They  looked  upon  him  as  a  spirit ; 
probably  an  evil  spirit;  for  practically  all  the 
spirits,  djinns  or  djinni,  believed  in  by  Moors 
and  Arabs,  are  evil  ones. 

The  boys'  captors  now  kept  a  fair  distance 
away  from  them,  and  did  not  longer  beat  them, 
although  they  still  demanded  their  aid  in  the 
various  tasks  of  the  camp  and  the  journey ;  and 
wonder  and  fear  showed  itself  plainly  on  all 
faces  whenever  Trump,  in  flying  about,  came 
anywrhere  near  them. 

Another  proof  of  the  sagacious  parrot's  in 
telligence  and  learning  was  shown  in  this  way. 

118 


ADVANCE   AND   ATTACK 

As  he  heard  the  Arabs  calling  to  one  another 
in  their  native  tongue,  he  listened  attentively; 
and  soon  he  began  to  repeat  —  softly,  as  par 
rots  will,  in  an  experimental  way  —  some  of 
the  words  which  he  heard.  It  was  therefore 
not  surprising  to  Bob  and  Lank  when  they 
heard  him  say,  "  Bismillah,"  which  means,  "  In 
the  name  of  Allah,"  and  is  used  frequently  by 
Moslems;  also  when  he  pronounced  the  word 
"  Mektoub,"  which  means,  "  It  is  written,  it  is 
all  settled,  you  cannot  change  what  is  fated  to 
be."  But  when  he  one  day  began  to  count 
rapidly  in  Arabic,  "  Wahhed,  etnen,  telatah, 
arbah,"  etc.  (One,  two,  three,  four,  etc.),  then 
Bob  saw  that  the  remarkable  creature  was 
drawing  on  some  previous  knowledge;  he  had 
doubtless  been  taught  a  little  Arabic,  together 
with  phrases  of  other  languages,  in  those  Ox 
ford  days.  O,  Trump  was  a  wise  and  won 
derful  creature! 

In  the  middle  of  their  third  forenoon  from 
the  seacoast,  Sheikh  Abdul,  who  rode  one  of 

the  swifter  camels   (a  hegin,  not  a  ghemel, 

119 


THE    SULTAN'S    RIVAL 

which  is  a  camel  for  transportation  of  goods), 
pushed  his  animal  off  toward  one  side,  and 
cantered  to  the  top  of  a  hillock  of  stony  ground, 
whence  he  could  look  a  long  distance  off  over 
the  billowy  sands ;  then  he  sat  and  peered  from 
under  his  raised  palm  at  some  remote  object 
or  objects. 

After  a  few  moments  of  this  sort  of  scru 
tiny  he  hurried  back  to  the  caravan,  and  gave 
some  orders  sharply.  At  once  advance  was 
stayed,  and  everybody,  except  Bob  and  Lank, 
knew  just  what  to  do  (whether  or  not  Trump 
knew7  cannot  be  affirmed ;  that  wise  bird  knew  so 
many  things  that  he  may  have  included  these 
matters). 

The  women  and  children  were  gathered  into 
a  circle  with  the  donkeys  and  sheep  and  goats. 
Around  them  in  a  larger  circle  the  camels, 
twenty  or  more,  were  marshalled,  and  were 
made  to  kneel  with  their  sides  toward  the  outer 
and  inner  surface  of  the  circle ;  thus  their  bodies 
would  serve  the  greatest  possible  amount  of 
protection ;  for,  as  Bob  and  Lank  now  saw,  the 

120 


ADVANCE   AND   ATTACK 

Sheikh  feared  an  attack ;  and  in  a  few  minutes 
the  enemy  appeared  —  fully  fifty  Touaregs 
(fierce  fellows  of  the  Berber  race  from  the 
central  regions  of  the  Sahara,  who  veil  their 
faces  below  the  eyes). 

These  fifty  Touaregs,  on  camels,  came  riding 
rapidly  up,  shouting  and  brandishing  guns  and 
spears,  as  their  way  is,  to  terrify  their  foes. 

Sidi  Abdul's  men,  about  twelve  in  all,  old 
and  young,  had  unslung  their  guns  and  taken 
ofT  their  woolen  gun-cases,  which  they  now 
wound  about  their  heads.  Silently,  and  directed 
by  their  veteran  Sheikh,  they  took  their  places 
inside  of,  and  close  to,  the  line  of  camels. 
There  they  waited. 

Near  the  center  of  the  protecting  circle  of 
camels,  with  the  women  and  children  and  the 
flocks,  crouched  our  two  young  friends,  where 
they  had  been  ordered  to  put  themselves. 
'  What  do  you  think  of  the  look  of  things?  " 
asked  Bob  of  Lank,  who  held  Trump  on  his 
hancl. 

"  A  little  dark,  the  prospect  seems  to  me," 
121 


THE    SULTAN'S    RIVAL 

responded  Lank;  "though  not  by  any  means 
wholly  black.  But  I  say,  Bob,  what  fierce-look 
ing  fellows  those  Touaregs  are!  Is  that  their 
name,  *  Touaregs  '  ?  " 

"  Yes,  I  've  read  about  them,  and  seen  pic 
tures  of  them.  They  attack  almost  anything 
that  comes  in  their  way.  If  they  do  attack,  and 
capture  us,  —  well,  that 's  the  end,  —  or  worse." 


122 


CHAPTER   XI 

THE    MARAUDERS    BEATEN    OFF 

The  hardy  old  Sheikh,  Sidi  Abdul,  was  pre 
senting  a  determined  front  to  his  fierce  foes. 
The  Touaregs  outnumbered  the  Souss  greatly, 
and  could  conquer  and  slaughter  them  if  they 
really  set  about  it;  but  this  would  certainly  in 
volve  the  death  of  at  least  a  half  dozen,  and 
perhaps  more,  of  their  own  number;  and  they 
evidently  were  doubtful  of  the  wisdom  of  such 
a  sacrifice. 

At  this  point  Sheikh  Abdul,  happening  to 
notice  his  two  white  captives,  gave  an  order  to 
one  of  his  women;  and  she  quickly  unearthed 
two  spare  flintlock  muskets  from  the  luggage 
and  came  and  put  them  into  the  boys'  hands. 
Then  the  Sheikh  beckoned  to  them  and  called 
loudly,  "Talari  hennah!  Talah  hennah!" 
( Come  here !  Come  here ! ) 

Bob  was  beginning  to  get  hold  of  the  harsh, 
123 


THE    SULTAN'S    RIVAL 

gutteral  Arabic  language,  and  already  knew 
what  these  words  meant.  Even  if  he  had  not 
known,  the  gestures  of  the  Sheikh  were  suf 
ficient.  '''  By  Jupiter,  Lank,"  he  exclaimed, 
"  they  want  us  on  the  firing  line ;  think  we  'd 
better  go?" 

"  I  'm  ready,"  assented  Lank.  "  I  wonder  if 
a  bullet  could  do  much  harm  after  it  had  cut 
through  one  of  those  camels." 

"  I  'm  afraid  it  could,"  was  Bob's  prompt 
reply.  "  But  we  '11  get  a  bullet  straight  from 
that  savage  old  Sheikh's  gun  if  we  don't  obey. 
So  here  goes.  How  will  Trump  enjoy  it  ?  " 

(<  Not  very  much,  I  fancy.  But  I  have  him 
tied  with  a  bit  of  string;  he  might  get  nervous 
and  fly  about,  and  then  one  of  those  evil-look 
ing  Touaregs  very  likely  would  bring  him 
down." 

So  the  two  lads,  nervous,  but  deeply  inter 
ested  and  anxious,  plodded  across  through  the 
sand  and  took  up  positions  as  directed.  The 
Souss  Arabs,  the  defenders,  were  silent  and 
watchful  and  determined,  whereas  the  Toua- 

124 


THE    MARAUDERS    BEATEN    OFF 

regs  were  restless  and  insulting;  and  they 
cantered  about  on  their  swift  camels,  circling 
entirely  about  the  besieged  caravan,  looking 
for  some  weak  point  in  the  defense. 

Five  or  ten  minutes  passed.  Insulting,  chal 
lenging  epithets  were  hurled  at  the  Arabs  by 
the  Touaregs,  but  did  not  provoke  much  reply. 
Then  the  wicked-looking  fellows,  peering  out 
over  the  upper  edges  of  their  face-cloths,  with 
drew  a  hundred  yards,  and  clustered  together 
in  silence ;  next,  one  of  their  number  —  their 
chief,  probably  —  advanced  alone  on  his  camel, 
and  spoke.  He  was  trying,  apparently,  to  con 
vince  Sheikh  Abdul  on  some  point;  very  likely 
claiming  that  the  Sheikh  had  in  his  possession 
some  property  —  camels  or  goats,  or  even 
women  —  which  belonged  to  the  Touaregs. 
This  is  usually  the  lame  pretense  made  by  the 
savage,  marauding  bands  of  Morocco  and  the 
Sahara,  when  they  plunder  and  slaughter  a 
weaker  band. 

But  the  wily  Sheikh  only  shook  his  head,  and 
replied  with  calmness  yet  firmness. 

125 


THE    SULTAN'S    RIVAL 

Gradually  the  Touareg  chief  worked  him 
self  up  into  a  rage,  and  Sheikh  Abdul  stepped 
outside  the  line  of  camels  and  advanced  slowly 
toward  him;  both  men  held  their  guns  across 
their  arms,  and  in  a  second  could  have  aimed 
and  fired.  Bob  and  Lank  watched  proceedings 
with  absorbed  interest.  They  forgot  for  a  time 
their  own  wretched  condition,  and  stared  in 
fascination  at  the  two  men. 

Suddenly  the  crowd  of  Touaregs  in  the  rear 
set  up  a  wild  whooping,  and  broke  from  their 
group-formation.  This  was  done  partly  be 
cause  they  did  not  like  their  leader  to  risk 
himself  further,  and  partly  to  disconcert  the 
Souss  chief,  so  that  their  leader  might  get  in 
a  safe  shot  at  him.  But  Sheikh  Abdul  had  not 
passed  sixty  years  of  troublous  life  on  the 
lawless  desert  for  nothing;  he  kept  his  eyes 
fixed  on  the  Touareg  chief,  and  slowly  stepped 
backward  and  backward,  softly,  like  a  hunting- 
leopard,  his  gun  all  the  time  lying  in  the  hollow 
of  his  left  arm. 

Bob  fairly  held  his  breath  from  excitement. 
126 


THE    MARAUDERS    BEATEN    OFF 

Only  a  straw's  weight  of  accident  or  incident 
was  needed  to  transform  the  scene  into  one  of 
wild  carnage.  Just  before  the  Sheikh  stepped 
back  through  the  "  camel-line  of  fortifica 
tions,"  as  Bob  called  it,  the  daring  old  fellow 
stooped  slowly,  —  keeping  his  eye  on  his  enemy, 
—  picked  up  a  handful  of  sand,  and  threw  it 
into  the  air.  That  was  the  customary  act  of 
defiance,  as  Bob  had  read.  Yes,  Sheikh  Abdul 
was  game  to  the  core;  and  our  young  friends 
could  not  help  admiring  his  cool  pluck  in  the 
face  of  great  odds,  even  though  they  hated  him 
for  his  cruel  conduct  toward  them. 

The  foiled  Touaregs  now  worked  off  steam 
a  little  by  running  their  camels  about,  in  vari 
ous  directions,  firing  their  muskets  in  the  air, 
while  standing  on  the  camels,  to  show  their 
skill,  but  gradually  drawing  away  into  the 
desert. 

"  They  give  it  up  as  a  bad  job,"  remarked 
Bob.  "  But  it 's  mighty  lucky  for  us.  We  have 
about  one  chance  in  three  as  we  are  now;  but 
if  those  fellows  had  got  hold  of  us  we  would  n't 

127 


THE    SULTAN'S    RIVAL 

have  had  any  chance  at  all.  I  suppose,  Lank, 
that  we  may  say  that  we  helped  to  stand  that 
crowd  off.  Don't  you  think  so  ?  " 

"  Quite  so,"  was  the  English  lad's  rejoinder. 
"  At  least  that  was  the  old  Sheikh's  idea.  We 
made  two  more  armed  defenders.  But  have 
you  taken  a  close  look  at  your  weapon, 
Bob?" 

"  Well,  no,  to  tell  the  truth,  I  have  n't."  And 
the  lad  now  held  up  his  long  Moorish  musket 
and  inspected  it.  Then  he  laughed.  "  A  noble 
weapon,  that !  See !  It 's  an  old-timer ;  a 
smooth-bore,  flint-lock  muzzle-loader,  and  there 
is  n't  any  hammer  on  it." 

"  No  more  is  there  a  flint  on  mine,"  re 
sponded  Lank.  And  the  boys  were  amused 
for  the  moment,  despite  their  deep-down  anxiety 
as  to  their  future. 

The  old  woman  now  came  and  took  away  the 
guns.  Bob  pointed  out  their  disabled  condition 
and  smiled,  unconsciously,  hoping  for  a  bit  of 
sympathy  and  good  nature;  but  the  old  crone 
—  she  who  bore  the  name  of  Taipha  —  would 

128 


THE    MARAUDERS    BEATEN    OFF 

not  respond,  but  snatched  away  the  guns,  turn 
ing  looks  of  threatening  and  hate  upon  the 
lads  as  she  did  so. 

The  close  formation  for  defense  was  now 
broken  up,  but  the  caravan  did  not  continue 
its  march  for  an  hour  or  two.  The  strain  of 
the  attack  had  been  too  great  to  be  thrown  off 
in  a  moment.  Nerves  were  tense,  and  every 
body  was  cross,  and  several  slight  quarrels 
ensued.  No  especial  favor  was  shown  to  the 
boys  after  their  little  contribution  to  the 
common  defense,  except  that  they  were  in 
cluded  in  the  tea-drinking  which  now  took 
place. 

Tea-making  and  tea-drinking  among  the 
Moors  and  Arabs  is  a  very  formal  proceeding. 
Bob  watched  with  curiosity  to  see  how  it  was 
all  done.  The  caravan  now  arranged  itself  — 
probably  according  to  some  family  ties  or 
groupings  of  kinship,  or  perhaps  of  official  rank 
—  about  various  centers,  each  center  being  a 
little  fire  and  a  boiling  kettle  of  water. 

A  handful  of  tea  —  usually  of  the  kind  called 
129 


THE    SULTAN'S    RIVAL 

by  English  people  "  Gunpowder  tea  "  —  was 
thrown  into  the  empty  pot  or  kettle,  and  a  small 
quantity  of  boiling  water  was  poured  on  this; 
the  pot  was  then  shaken,  and  the  liquid  —  now 
of  a  dirty-green  color  —  was  poured  out  upon 
the  ground.  This  is  what  is  called  "  washing  " 
the  tea;  and  is  done  to  rinse  off  the  poisonous 
effects  of  the  copper  slabs  upon  which  the  tea- 
leaves  were  laid  when  first  gathered.  A  large 
lump  of  sugar  was  now  put  into  the  pot,  hot 
water  was  poured  in,  and  the  sugar  dissolved; 
this  process  of  dissolving  sugar  was  repeated 
until  the  water  in  the  pot  was  almost  like  syrup ; 
no  spoon  was  used,  but  the  sugar  was  dissolved 
by  pouring  the  solution  out  of  the  pot  into  a 
gourd  and  then  back  in  again.  Finally  came 
the  drinking ;  and  all  —  including  our  young 
friends  —  were  given  a  small  gourd- full;  each 
of  the  Arabs  pronounced  the  word  "  Bismil- 
lah  "  (In  the  name  of  Allah)  before  putting  the 
beverage  to  his  lips ;  and  each  smacked  his  lips 
loudly  after  drinking,  as  this  is  considered  the 
polite  thing  to  do.  A  second  time  each  person 

130 


THE    MARAUDERS    BEATEN    OFF 

drank  a  cup,  and  a  loud  smacking  of  lips  went 
around  the  circle.  When  the  supply  in  the 
kettle  was  used  up,  more  sugar  was  added  to 
the  tea-leaves  already  there,  more  hot  water 
was  poured  in,  and  the  drinking  was  continued. 
Three  cups  for  each  person  is  the  polite  num 
ber;  if  a  guest  stopped  with  less  than  this 
number  he  would  be  thought  very  discourteous. 

After  the  tea-drinking  was  over  several  of 
the  men  produced  little  pouches  of  goat-skin, 
and  took  therefrom  some  kief,  a  kind  of  strong 
native  tobacco,  and  pipes  made  of  red  clay,  with 
reed  stems ;  smoking  is  forbidden  in  the  Koran, 
but  many  Moors  and  Arabs  break  through  this 
law,  openly  or  in  secret. 

After  smoking  for  a  short  time  the  men 
put  away  their  pipes,  and  throughout  the  cara 
van  Bob  could  see  them  settling  themselves 
for  longer  or  shorter  periods  of  sleep;  and  he 
was  struck  by  their  custom  in  this  matter. 
They  did  not  lie  down  to  sleep,  but  sat  up, 
sometimes  leaning  back  against  a  bundle  of 
goods  or  against  a  kneeling  camel,  and  clasped 


THE    SULTAN'S    RIVAL 

their  hands  across  their  knees.  Their  bodies 
and  arms  were  so  lean  and  sinewy  that  they 
seemed  to  find  this  not  at  all  constrained  and 
difficult,  but  nodded  and  dozed  and  slept  in 
entire  comfort. 


132 


CHAPTER   XII 

ESCAPE OR    DEATH 

The  darkness  of  the  night  came  on,  but  the 
clear  sky  was  besprinkled  with  stars,  and  the 
darkness  was  not  very  dense.  Bob  Laurie  and 
Lankester  Diggles  lay,  silent  but  wakeful,  side 
by  side  upon  the  soft  yielding  sand  of  the 
desert,  and  pondered  upon  their  unhappy  lot. 
Fiery  as  the  rays  of  the  sun  had  been  during 
the  day,  soon  after  sunset  a  chill  had  come  into 
the  air,  and  they  had  been  obliged  to  find  some 
covering;  which  they  did  by  pulling  off  the 
outer  coarse,  goat's-hair  blanket  from  a  pile  of 
goods,  and  drawing  it  over  them. 

Bob  gazed  awhile  at  the  stars,  finding  the 
Great  Dipper,  or  Ursa  Major,  constellation; 
and  it  looked  just  as  it  had  always  looked  when 
he  had  seen  it,  evenings,  in  his  far-away  land 
of  the  United  States.  Never  had  he  supposed, 


THE    SULTAN'S    RIVAL 

when  looking  at  it  there,  that  he  would  ever 
be  looking  at  it  from  such  strange,  perilous 
conditions  as  now  he  was  in. 

Presently  he  broke  the  silence.  "  Lank,"  he 
asked,  "  what  do  you  think  was  the  matter 
with  that  Khedive  ?  Why  did  n't  he  turn  up, 
as  he  agreed  to  ?  " 

Lank  answered  slowly;  there  was  no  need 
of  hurry;  they  had  the  whole  night  to  talk  in, 
and  reflect  upon  their  miserable  fortunes.  "  I 
don't  know  why  he  failed  us.  I  believe  he 
meant  well,  when  he  talked  about  it  in  London." 

"  I  suppose  things  are  in  such  an  unsettled 
state  in  this  barbarous  country,"  suggested 
Bob,  "  that  he  may  have  been  found  out  and 
beheaded  by  the  Sultan.  These  Sultans,  down 
here,  don't  mind  chopping  off  the  heads  of 
brothers  or  parents  or  anybody  who  gets  in 
their  way.  But  I  don't  feel  as  sure  as  you 
seem  to  that  he  really  meant  business ;  perhaps 
he  did  though." 

"  Well,  it  would  n't  have  made  any  great 
difference  to  us,  to  you  and  me,"  added  Lank, 

134 


ESCAPE  — OR    DEATH 

''about  our  being  here;  it  was  that  ter 
rible  tidal  wave  that  smashed  the  ship  and 
drowned  everybody;  there  was  where  our 
trouble  began." 

"  Yes,  you  're  right,"  assented  Bob.  "  That 
smashed  the  whole  scheme.  I  was  wondering, 
Lank,  whether,  if  we  could  get  away  from  these 
wretches  and  could  possibly  make  our  way  up 
to  Marrakesh,  we  would  get  any  protection 
from  that  Khedive,  and  whether  he  would  help 
us  to  go  farther  up  the  country  to  some  Euro 
pean  consul,  or  even  merchant." 

"  I  Ve  thought  that  over  a  good  deal,"  said 
Lank,  now  whispering  (the  boys  had  been 
talking  in  a  low  tone,  but  an  Arab  near  them 
had  turned  toward  them  and  hissed  out  some 
threat,  which  probably  included  a  curse  on  them 
for  making  so  much  noise,  and  on  their  fathers 
and  mothers,  and  grandfathers  and  grand 
mothers.  Arabs  and  Moors  have  a  choice  col 
lection  of  curses  to  pour  out  on  a  person's 
ancestors). 

"  I  've  thought  upon  it,"  repeated  the  Brit- 


THE    SULTAN'S    RIVAL 

ish  lad,  "  and  I  'm  not  sure  that  the  Khedive 
would  be  at  all  glad  to  see  us.  In  fact  I  think 
he  would  rather  not  see  us ;  we  would  n't  be 
any  gain  to  him,  and  he  would  fear  that  we 
might  let  out  the  secret  of  his  plotting  against 
his  elder  brother,  the  Sultan." 

"  Ah,  I  see.  Of  course,"  was  Bob's  com 
ment,  also  in  whispers.  Then,  after  a  few 
moments'  silence,  he  continued:  "  But  I  Ve 
made  up  my  mind  to  one  thing,  Lank.  We  Ve 
got  to  brace  up  and  get  away  from  this  crowd. 
If  we  stay  with  them  we  shall  be  dead  sooner 
than  we  would  like ;  we  are  losing  strength  each 
day." 

The  lad  spoke  with  an  accent  of  determina 
tion;  he  knew  —  both  boys  knew  —  that  their 
situation  was  nearly  hopeless.  Lank  now  asked, 
-  hushing  Trump,  who  seemed  inclined  to  take 
part  in  this  new  kind  of  whispered  conversa 
tion,  —  "  How  far  do  you  think  Marrakesh  is 
away  from  us  ?  ': 

Bob  reflected,  recalling  maps  he  had  seen; 
the  phrase-book  which  the  Moorish  Shereef 

136 


ESCAPE  — OR    DEATH 

used  had  a  sketch-map  of  Morocco  in  it. 
"  About  two  hundred  miles,  perhaps,  more  or 
less ;  and  the  direction  must  be  nearly  —  nearly 
there."  And  Bob  raised  himself  and  stretched 
his  arm  out  across  the  sand. 

'  Yes,"  confirmed  the  trained  sailor-lad, 
glancing  up  at  the  stars  critically,  and  then  at 
his  companion's  arm.  "  I  make  that  same  di 
rection  about  the  right  one.  Only  I  don't  know 
about  the  distance." 

"  Well,  I  'm  not  sure,  of  course ;  but  I  can 
judge  pretty  near  it." 

Thus  the  lads  conversed  and  encouraged 
each  other,  —  always  in  whispers;  and  after  a 
time  they  fell  asleep. 

In  the  morning  an  Arab  boy,  Seid,  son  of 
Taipha,  roused  them  each  with  a  kick;  he  was 
a  surly,  cruel  fellow,  this  Seid,  about  nineteen 
years  old;  but  as  he  wore  no  shoes  or  sandals 
his  kicks  did  no  great  harm.  Still,  you  may  be 
sure  that  our  spirited  young  Europeans  re 
sented  the  insult;  but  they  roused  themselves 
and  sprang  up. 

137 


THE    SULTAN'S    RIVAL 

Soon  Taipha,  the  cross  old  dame,  beckoned 
them,  and  they  were  set  at  work  grinding  some 
barley;  they  took  turns  at  it;  Lank  seated  him 
self,  as  ordered,  beside  the  two  circular  stones, 
each  about  eighteen  inches  across  and  three 
inches  thick,  placed  one  upon  the  other.  A 
wooden  peg  fastened  into  the  center  of  the 
lower  stone  fitted  up  into  a  hole  which  ran  en 
tirely  through  the  upper  stone;  on  this  peg, 
as  on  a  pivot,  the  upper  stone  could  revolve, 
when  pushed  around  by  another  peg  near  its 
outer  edge  which  served  as  a  handle ;  the  barley 
was  dropped  into  the  hole  in  the  upper  stone, 
worked  its  way  down  between  the  stones,  and 
was  crushed  and  ground  and  pushed  out  as  a 
coarse,  gritty  flour  around  the  crevice  between 
the  two  stones. 

It  was  the  old  laborious  method  which  the 
Arabs  have  used  for  centuries,  and  most  primi 
tive  races  have  used.  Lank  pushed  and  pulled 
the  upper  stone  around  and  back  again  with 
ease,  but  when  Bob's  turn  came  he  soon  found 
that  the  work  was  not  easy ;  and  Lank  —  kind- 

'138 


ESCAPE  — OR    DEATH 

hearted  fellow  —  soon  insisted  on  doing  a  part 
of  his  friend's  work  for  him. 

After  the  grinding  came  the  cooking;  the 
barley  flour  was  mixed  with  water,  without 
yeast  or  any  "  raising  "  process,  and  was  baked 
into  flat  pancakes  an  inch  thick,  which  were 
tough  and  not  very  palatable.  Bob  made  wry 
faces  as  the  bits  of  grit  from  the  mill-stones  got 
between  his  teeth;  but  it  was  a  case  of  that 
bread  or  no  bread;  and  the  lads  were  bent, 
now,  quite  as  much  upon  keeping  up  their 
strength  as  upon  satisfying  their  appetites. 

Even  Trump,  the  parrot,  had  his  opinion  of 
this  barley  bread,  and  evolved  several  kinds  of 
gutteral  remarks  as  he  tried  one  piece  and  an 
other,  but  seemed  eager  for  more.  The  attitude 
of  the  superstitious  Arabs  was  distinctly  more 
courteous  —  if  not  more  kindly  —  toward  the 
captive  boys  after  Trump  joined  them.  They 
eyed  the  strange  creature,  and  seemed  afraid 
every  minute  lest  he  should  bring  down  evil 
or  misfortune  upon  them. 

The  rough  arousing  by  malicious  Seid  had 


THE    SULTAN'S    RIVAL 

been  at  early  dawn;  and  the  morning  meal, 
which  consisted  of  pancakes,  a  little  honey 
mixed  with  bits  of  comb,  and  a  bowl  of  sour 
camel's  milk,  was  soon  despatched  by  the  lads ; 
then  came  the  start  of  the  caravan,  and  Bob 
and  Lank  on  this  day  were  allowed  to  ride; 
although  the  privilege  was  a  doubtful  one,  when 
the  difficulty  and  hardship  of  it  were  taken 
into  account.  An  Arab  seated  himself  in  front 
of  the  great,  shaggy  hump  of  the  huge,  clumsy 
beast,  bracing  himself  back  against  it  by  his 
feet  held  against  the  camel's  neck.  Then  the 
boys  were  made  to  sit  astride,  each  of  his  camel, 
behind  the  hump,  and  were  expected  to  keep 
themselves  from  slipping  off  by  clinging  fast 
to  the  long,  reddish  hair  with  which  the  hump 
was  covered. 

"  Pretty  poor  way  to  travel !  "  groaned  Bob, 
after  a  mile  or  two  had  been  gone  over.  But 
Lank  encouraged  him  as  well  as  he  could. 

"  You  are  so  mighty  cheerful  about  every 
thing,"  ejaculated  Bob,  gritting  his  teeth  as 
the  pain  in  his  chafed  legs  seemed  impossible 

140 


ESCAPE  — OR   DEATH 

to  bear.  "  I  don't  know  whether  it  is  worth 
while  to  keep  up  the  game  much  longer." 

"  O,  yes  it  is;  certainly  it  is,"  was  Lank's 
cheery  rejoinder.  "  Something  always  turns 
up.  It  always  has  in  my  case." 

'  That 's  all  very  well  if  you  can't  do  any 
better,"  commented  Bob,  groaning  with  pain 
as  he  spoke.  "  But  my  notion  is  that  often 
nothing  does  turn  up ;  and  in  that  case  —  which 
is  this  case  —  we  must  turn  something  up." 

The  caravan  was  obliged  to  move  very  slowly, 
because  there  was  a  number  of  sheep  and  goats 
to  be  kept  along,  and  their  pace  in  the  sand 
was  not  rapid.  The  two  boys  could  talk  across 
to  each  other  in  English,  and  no  one  of  their 
captors  the  wiser ;  although  some  of  the  Arabs 
cast  watchful,  distrustful  glances  at  them  from 
time  to  time.  "  Well,  Lank,  you  think  hard 
over  the  subject  and  let  me  know  if  you  see  any 
way  to  get  out  of  this."  Thus  Bob  admonished, 
but  had  not  much  hope  of  success.  "  I  had 
some  notion  that  we  could  use  their  supersti 
tious  fear  of  Trump,  but  I  don't  quite  see  the 

141 


THE    SULTAN'S    RIVAL 

way.  They  are  frightened  to  death  of  that  bird, 
but  I  can't  think  they  would  let  us  walk  off, 
even  if  we  threatened  them  with  Trump's  ven 
geance.  Anyhow,  let 's  keep  our  eyes  open." 

The  opportunity  for  making  a  trial  at  an 
escape  came  sooner  than  the  boys  expected. 
Later  on  that  afternoon,  when  the  camping 
time  was  approaching,  they  were  ordered  out 
with  Taipha,  the  savage  old  woman,  and  Seid, 
her  son,  to  gather  fuel,  grasses  and  sticks  for 
cooking  the  evening  meal. 

The  region  across  which  the  Arabs  were  now 
traveling  was  somewhat  broken  by  wadys,  or 
dry  water-courses,  and  was  not  far  south  of 
the  foot-hills  of  the  Atlas  chain  of  mountains. 
Along  these  wadys,  or  gulleys,  grew  a  goodly 
amount  of  vegetation ;  the  lentisk,  with  its  res 
inous  fiber,  and  dried  oleander  bushes,  were  ex 
cellent  material  for  burning;  and  the  old  woman 
and  her  son,  cutting  out  one  of  the  camels, 
ordered  our  two  young  friends  to  fall  back 
and  set  to  work  at  the  fuel-gathering. 

The  youth  Seid  carried  a  stout  staff,  and 
142 


ESCAPE  — OR    DEATH 

amused  himself  by  poking  the  captive  boys  with 
it,  and  even  threatening  to  strike  them.  All 
four  set  about  their  task;  but  Seid  was  more 
bent  upon  getting  work  out  of  his  subordinates 
than  upon  doing  any  himself.  The  caravan 
had  now  moved  slowly  away  across  the  uneven 
surface  of  the  country,  winding  among  hillocks 
of  yielding  sand  or  climbing  along  clayey  ridges 
among  loose  stones. 

Bob  was  stiff  and  sore  from  the  riding  on 
the  jolting  camel,  and  picked  up  the  sticks  me 
chanically.  Presently,  as  he  noticed  the  Arabs 
and  their  camels  and  flocks  outlined  against 
the  eastern  sky,  a  mile  away,  the  idea  came 
suddenly  into  his  brain  that  now  was  as  good 
a  chance  as  any  to  have  a  try  at  escaping. 

His  heart  gave  a  leap  of  hope  as  the  idea 
came  to  him,  and  then  he  worked  over  nearer 
to  Lank,  and  said,  "  Why  don't  we  make  some 
sort  of  a  break  now,  old  man?  We'll  never 
have  a  better  chance." 

:(  Perhaps  never  so  good  a  one,"  was  Lank's 
laconic  response. 

143 


THE    SULTAN'S    RIVAL 

Both  the  boys  began  planning  some  course 
of  action  on  the  spot.  "  I  suppose  the  old 
woman  has  a  kooinia"  (a  Moorish  dagger), 
suggested  Bob.  "  Most  of  them  do.  That 
scoundrel,  Seid,  has  n't  one,  I  think ;  but  he  is 
particularly  active  with  that  club  of  his." 

The  two  lads,  now  eager  in  the  hope  of  es 
cape,  faint  as  that  hope  was,  sought  to  con 
ceal  their  excitement,  and  when  they  talked 
they  kept  busily  at  work,  or  directed  each 
other's  attention  toward  some  remote  object. 
But  cross-grained  Taipha  and  her  surly  son, 
Seid,  were  very  distrustful  of  this  conversa 
tion  between  the  boys,  in  an  unknown  language, 
and  they  scolded  and  threatened,  but  did  not 
go  beyond  words  in  their  abuse.  In  fact,  they 
were  restrained  greatly  by  the  presence  of  the 
uncanny  bird,  the  dj'inn,  as  they  deemed  it,  who 
hovered  about  his  master  and  seemed  to  talk 
with  him  in  a  mysterious  way. 

"  There  is  just  one  thing  to  do,"  Bob  said, 
after  a  few  minutes.  ;'  We  can't  get  away  by 
running;  they  both  can  beat  us  all  out  at  that. 

144 


ESCAPE  — OR    DEATH 

We  must  each  of  us  take  one  of  them  and  over 
power  him  or  her ;  now  which  shall  we  take  ?  " 

Lankester  Diggles  kept  his  eyes  on  the 
ground,  upon  the  sticks  which  they  had  gathered 
into  little  bundles,  as  directed,  and  bound  up  with 
withes  of  the  green  cistus,  a  plant  shrub;  he 
now  suggested :  "  I  think  I  will  take  care  of  the 
old  woman.  I  am  a  bit  larger  and  older  and 
stronger  than  you,  and  she  is  the  stronger  and 
much  quicker  than  her  son;  and  besides  she 
carries  that  sharp  curved  koomia;  one  blow 
with  that  —  and  we  're  done  for." 

"  All  right,"  responded  Bob.  "  Seid  is  a  trifle 
larger  than  I  am,  but  I  did  n't  do  quarter-back 
work  for  nothing  on  our  school-team.  If  I  can 
get  an  even  hold  with  him  on  that  club,  I  think 
I  can  put  up  a  stiff  game.  Then,  there  is  the 
camel ;  I  've  watched  those  hobbles  put  on  and 
taken  off  the  camels  so  often  that  I  am  sure  I 
can  manage  this  one.  But,  Lank,  —  we  must 
face  one  hard  fact." 

"  Yes,  go  ahead ;  what  is  it?  " 

"  We  may  be  able  to  get  the  better  of  these 


THE    SULTAN'S    RIVAL 

savage  creatures  without  seriously  injuring 
them;  but  if  —  if  worst  comes  to  worst, 
Lank  —  " 

"  Well,  I  've  thought  of  all  that.  And  I  've 
settled  it  in  my  own  mind.  If  it  comes  to 
a  choice  between  their  lives  and  mine,  —  or 
yours,  Bob,  —  well,  I  know  what  will  happen. 
They  would  n't  hesitate  long  on  their  side  of 
that  problem." 

Bob  shuddered  a  little  at  the  impending  pos 
sibility  of  taking  human  life;  but  he  shut  his 
teeth  strongly  as  he  reflected  on  his  desperate 
situation.  "  Self-preservation  is  the  first  law  of 
nature,"  he  quoted,  remembering  that  he  had 
once  seen  that  sentence  on  an  advertisement  in 
Boston.  And  he  simply  said,  "  Without  blood 
shed,  if  possible,  Lank ;  but  —  but  we  must  try 
to  save  our  own  lives."  Then  he  began  work 
ing  over  toward  Seid,  who  was  idly  tossing  up 
and  catching  some  pebbles  —  Arab  boys  play 
at  "  Jack-stones  "  a  great  deal. 

Bob  was  anxious  to  know  exactly  what  plan 
Lank  would  follow;  but  he  could  not  safely 

146 


ESCAPE  — OR    DEATH 

give  that  individual  any  open  attention,  for 
such  action  on  his  part  would  be  noticed  by 
their  watchful  guards.  No,  he  must  trust  to 
Lank's  good  British  pluck  and  sound  sense,  and 
see  to  it  that  his  own  part  was  carried  out.  He 
realized  that  if  either  he  or  Lank  proved  un 
successful  in  his  attack,  and  was  killed  or  ren 
dered  helpless,  that  would  set  free  one  antag 
onist  to  go  to  the  support  of  the  other;  and 
against  such  odds  neither  he  nor  Lank  could 
expect  to  win. 

Bob  picked  up  and  bound  his  fagots,  moving, 
nearer  and  nearer  unsuspecting  Seid,  who 
yawned  and  hummed  and  occasionally  threw 
out  a  threat  or  a  complicated  curse  toward  our 
young  friend.  Bob  did  not  move  in  a  straight 
line,  but  zigzagged  nearer  and  nearer,  keeping 
himself  turned  sidewise,  in  a  careless  fashion, 
toward  the  young  Arab,  but  noting,  under  his 
eyelids,  every  movement  that  he  made. 

Bob  was  terribly  anxious  about  Lank  and 
his  attack;  for  if  it  came  before  he  himself 
was  close  up  to  Seid,  then  he  must  make  a  dash 


THE    SULTAN'S    RIVAL 

and  take  chances.  Still,  he  had  the  conviction 
that  Lank  would  give  him  the  first  show,  and 
was  waiting  for  him  to  begin. 

Just  as  Bob  was  about  to  close  with  his  enemy 
—  who  had  laid  his  club  down  upon  the  sand 
beside  him  —  the  camel,  fifty  yards  away,  gave 
a  great  roar,  which  made  Bob  start  violently, 
so  tense  were  his  nerves  under  this  trying 
ordeal. 

But  the  great,  gaunt  creature  was  only  heav 
ing  a  huge  sigh  of  regret  at  being  separated 
from  his  companions,  and  soon  resumed  his 
feeding  upon  the  twigs  of  gum-cistus,  tearing 
off  and  devouring  sticks  as  thick  as  a  man's 
little  finger. 

At  last  the  moment  for  the  daring  attempt 
had  come.  Bob  was  within  ten  feet  of  the 
Arab  lad,  who  now  seemed  to  suspect  some 
thing;  for  he  motioned  the  lad  away,  yet,  luckily, 
without  laying  hold  of  his  club.  Bob  noted  his 
uneasiness,  and  drew  a  long  breath.  Now  or 
never  it  must  be;  the  moment  for  the  struggle 
had  come. 

148 


CHAPTER   XIII 

A    DOUBLE    DUEL 

When  once  Bob  Laurie  felt  sure  that  the  one 
thing  for  him  to  do  was  to  leap  at  that  nearly 
naked,  swarthy  youth,  idly  tossing  the  pebbles 
on  the  palm  and  back  of  his  hand,  then  all  his 
hesitation  left  him.  His  heart  beat  strangely 
and  his  muscles  tightened,  and  from  his  eyes 
darted  gleams  of  fierce  determination.  Drop 
ping  the  bundle  of  sticks  which  he  held,  he 
sprang  at  the  young  Arab,  and  before  that  care 
less  scoundrel  knew  what  had  happened  Bob 
had  a  grip  on  his  shoulders  and  bore  him  to 
the  ground;  but  the  very  force  and  fury  of 
the  American  lad's  attack  carried  him  heels  over 
head  beyond  the  Arab;  and  both  of  them  lay 
for  a  moment  in  a  shapeless  grapple ;  but  Seid 
roused  from  his  stupor  of  surprise  and  realized 
that  the  patient,  passive  captive  lad  had  at  last 

149 


THE    SULTAN'S    RIVAL 

turned  into  a  fierce  foe.  And  the  two,  now 
head  to  head  upon  the  ground,  wound  their 
arms  around  each  other,  each  trying  to  climb 
upon  the  other  and  resisting  that  same  plan 
of  attack  upon  himself. 

Bob  was  the  younger  but  the  heavier  of  the 
two;  and  he  sought  to  bring  this  greater  weight 
of  his  into  play.  He  knew,  moreover,  that  the 
Arab's  staying  power  was  probably  the  greater, 
accustomed  as  he  was  to  the  scanty  fare  and  the 
hardship  which  had  been  wasting  Bob's 
strength  for  several  days. 

Seid  was  thin  and  wiry,  and  he  coiled  up  on 
Bob  like  a  snake;  but  Bob's  strength  was  al 
most  doubled  by  the  fierce  craving  of  his  soul 
for  freedom,  and  he  gripped  his  antagonist 
powerfully,  and  they  rolled  over  the  ground, 
first  one  above,  then  the  other,  and  neither  of 
them  getting  his  foe  really  and  firmly  under 
him. 

Bob  kept  his  lips  compressed,  saving  every 
ounce  of  strength  for  this  supreme  struggle  for 
life,  as  he  felt  it  to  be.  Whereas  the  Arab 

150 


A    DOUBLE    DUEL 

emitted  his  breath  in  gasps  and  curses,  and  oc 
casionally  in  calls  to  his  savage  mother  for 
assistance. 

Just  what  was  the  condition  of  that  fierce 
old  dame  Bob  knew  not,  but  he  could  make 
out,  now,  shrill  cries  which  must  come  from  one 
source  only.  Lank  and  Taipha  were  engaged 
in  a  struggle  equally  desperate;  and  the  whip- 
like  sinews  and  muscles  of  the  ferocious  old 
beldam  were  serving  her  well. 

It  would  have  been  a  perplexing  sight  to  any 
casual  onlooker ;  but  none  such  there  was,  unless 
we  except  Trump,  who  fluttered  in  little  circles 
above  the  heads  of  Lank  and  Taipha,  and  gave 
expression  to  remarks  and  protests  in  several 
languages. 

At  this  stage  of  the  game  much  the  same 
thing  happened  to  both  pairs  of  combatants. 
The  woman  had  instinctively  reached  for  her 
dagger  as  Lank  sprang  at  her,  but  he  had 
knocked  it  from  her  hand,  yet  without  being 
able  to  seize  it.  Where  it  had  fallen  he  knew 
not;  so  that  each  of  the  four  combatants  was 


THE    SULTAN'S    RIVAL 

struggling  for  the  upper  hand,  and  unarmed, 
yet  each  knowing  that  near  by  was  a  weapon  - 
in  one  case  a  dagger,  in  the  other  a  stout  club  - 
which,  if  it  could  be  laid  hold  of,  would  turn 
the  tables  in  his  favor. 

By  a  fortunate  twist  Seid  now  turned  Bob 
over  upon  his  back,  and  for  a  moment  was  really 
on  top,  but  for  a  moment  only;  the  Arab's 
weight  was  not  great,  and  he  could  not  hold 
Bob  down.  Bob  instantly  drew  up  both  knees 
violently  and  hurled  his  antagonist  backward 
over  his  head,  breaking  his  hold,  and  in  a 
second  more  both  lads  were  on  their  feet,  like 
lithe  cats,  and  eyeing  each  other  keenly. 

Then  Bob  tried  a  trick  which  he  had  once 
seen  worked  in  a  circus,  in  a  mock  battle  be 
tween  two  clowns.  He  pushed  both  hands  and 
arms  suddenly  up  into  the  air. 

His  enemy,  who  was  watching  him.  and  was 
nervously  ready  to  meet  action  with  action,  un 
consciously  put  up  his  own  hands,  to  ward  off 
this  expected  attack  from  above,  but  it  was  only 
a  feint  on  Bob's  part.  The  next  instant  he  had 

152 


A    DOUBLE    DUEL 

dropped  down,  caught  the  young  Arab  around 
the  knees  in  a  first-rate  "  tackle,"  —  as  a  foot 
ball  player  would  have  called  it,  —  and  lifted 
and  threw  the  young  fellow  several  feet  back 
over  his  head. 

The  instant  Bob  felt  his  enemy  leave  his 
grip  he  swept  his  eager  glance  around  for  the 
club,  and  he  discovered  it  some  twenty  feet 
away. 

With  a  leap  or  two  he  reached  the  weapon, 
caught  it  up,  and  was  back  at  the  confused 
Arab,  who  was  picking  himself  up  from  the 
sand,  where  he  had  landed  in  a  heap. 

There  was  only  one  thing  to  do,  and  Bob 
Laurie  did  it;  no  squeamishness,  no  girlish 
hesitation  over  a  hard  blow  that  needed  to  be 
dealt.  He  raised  the  club  and  brought  it  down 
on  the  shaggy  crown  of  his  foe  with  as  much 
force  as  he  could  summon;  and  the  Arab  sank 
motionless  on  the  sand. 

Then  Bob  gave  a  rapid  turn  toward  Lank 
and  his  vigorous  foe.  Bob  knew  not  what  had 
been  the  stages  of  their  struggle,  up  to  this 

153 


THE    SULTAN'S    RIVAL 

moment,  but  Lank  narrated  them  later ;  the  old 
woman  had  scratched  him  and  bitten  into  his 
cheek  and  had  gotten  three  of  his  fingers  into 
her  mouth,  lacerating  them  considerably;  al 
though,  as  she  was  nearly  toothless,  that  at 
tack  of  hers  was  not  as  severe  as  it  might  have 
been.  Then  she  had  got  him  by  the  throat,  he 
being  on  top  most  of  the  time,  yet  not  quite 
liking  to  pound  her  and  to  try  to  strangle  her, 
as  he  would  have  tried  with  a  man. 

She  was  possessed  of  remarkable  strength, 
and  was  shutting  off  the  British  youth's  supply 
of  wind  pretty  effectually,  just  as  Bob  turned 
to  learn  how  they  were  getting  on.  Then  Bob 
saw  Trump,  who  had  been  wheeling  restlessly 
over  the  head  of  his  master,  drop  down  into 
the  fight.  Trump  cracked  no  whips  now,  but 
his  Arab  recollections  came  to  the  fore;  and 
crying  out  with  the  force  of  his  lungs,  "  Bis- 
millah!  Bismillah!  "  (In  the  name  of  Allah!), 
he  went  at  the  savage  old  woman,  if  not  with 
tooth  and  nail,  at  least  with  beak  and  claws. 

Only  two  seconds  were  needed  for  him  to 


A    DOUBLE    DUEL 

put  his  strong,  black  beak,  hard  as  ebony, 
through  Taipha's  long  pointed  nose;  and  then 
the  beak  went  through  one  of  her  cheeks;  the 
short  claws  meantime,  like  steel  needles,  sink 
ing  into  the  flesh  of  the  other  cheek.  Only 
two  seconds  were  needed  for  Trump  to  accom 
plish  a  great  deal.  And  his  next  attack  fol 
lowed  his  racial  instinct.  He  struck  for  one  of 
the  savage  old  woman's  eyes. 

Either  the  pain  of  the  lacerations  or  the  fear 
of  this  bird  of  evil  omen,  was  enough  to  render 
nearly  frantic  the  wiry,  vengeful  old  creature. 
She  instantly  withdrew  her  hands  from  Lank's 
throat  and  protected  her  own  face  and  eyes, 
although  she  was  seriously  wounded  already. 

All  this  happened  inside  two  or  three  seconds, 
and  Bob  was  a  witness  of  it.  He  was  starting 
to  run  over  and  rescue  Lank  from  the  old 
woman's  suffocating  grip,  but  he  paused  as  he 
saw  Trump  turn  the  scales  of  the  conflict,  and 
he  glanced  back  uneasily  at  Seid,  who  lay  mo 
tionless  upon  the  sand. 

Then  the  thought  flashed  through  his  mind, 
155 


THE    SULTAN'S    RIVAL 

"  Can  I  leave  that  fellow?  How  long  before 
he  will  be  on  his  feet  again?  I  know  I  only 
stunned  him."  But  the  minute  he  saw  that 
Lank  and  Trump  had  got  the  upper  hand  of 
the  old  fury,  he  darted  back  to  Seid  and  began 
tying  his  hands  behind  his  back  with  a  hand 
kerchief. 

"  How  are  you  off  for  handkerchiefs  ?  "  he 
called  excitedly,  yet  humorously,  to  Lankester 
Diggles,  for  he  was  tremendously  wrought  up, 
yet  extremely  elated  withal. 

For  an  answer  Lank  whipped  out  a  red  ban 
dana  handkerchief  from  his  pocket,  and  began 
tying  his  prisoner's  hands  behind  her  back;  she 
screaming  and  cursing  and  resisting  as  well 
as  she  could.  Meanwhile  Trump,  much  pleased 
with  himself,  was  wheeling  about  in  the  air, 
and  cracking  whips  in  rapid  succession,  occa 
sionally  varying  this  Jehu-like  pastime  by  call 
ing  out,  "  Bismillah !  Bismillah !  " 

The  first  thing  that  Lank  did  when  he  got 
his  tough  old  enemy  firmly  tied  was  to  look 
for  the  knife.  He  could  not  feel  safe  until 

156 


A    DOUBLE    DUEL 

that  was  secured;  and,  by  pushing  about  the 
loose  sand,  over  which  he  and  Taipha  had  rolled 
in  their  fierce  struggle,  he  soon  discovered  the 
weapon  and  thrust  it  into  his  belt. 

Now  for  the  first  time  the  two  lads  felt 
comparatively  safe;  the  camel,  hobbled,  was 
not  far  away,  and  gave  them  no  attention. 
Seid  was  regaining  consciousness,  and  fixed  his 
eyes  on  Bob  with  a  sullen  hatred,  which  showed 
how  little  mercy  Bob  would  have  received  from 
him  had  the  struggle  resulted  differently. 

"  Will  you  two  come  over  here,  or  shall  we 
two  go  over  there?"  asked  Bob.  "We  must 
decide  what  we  will  do  next." 

Lank,  for  an  answer,  arose  and  motioned  to 
his  prisoner  that  she  was  to  stand  up  and  come 
with  him.  The  blood  was  trickling  from  her 
lacerated  face  and  she  must  have  been  suffer 
ing  more  or  less  pain;  but  she  was  as  fierce 
as  ever.  She  looked  up  at  him  from  her  sitting 
posture  and  spat  at  him.  That  was  her  only 
answer. 

"  She  's  game,  and  no  mistake,"  commented 
157 


THE    SULTAN'S    RIVAL 

Bob,  who  was  looking  across;  they  were  a 
dozen  yards  and  more  apart.  "  If  she  'd  got 
you  under,  your  life  would  n't  have  been  worth 
a  flouss."  (A  Moorish  coin  worth  about  a  fifth 
of  a  cent.) 

"  But  she  did  n't,"  was  Lank's  laconic  reply, 
as  he  rubbed  his  throat,  now  quite  sore  from 
the  hard  pressure  it  had  undergone.  "  Thanks 
to  that  dear  old  boy  up  there,"  he  added,  and 
pointed  to  Trump  still  wheeling  overhead  and 
chanting  a  paean  of  victory. 


158 


A  toothless,  cruel-looking  old  hag  now  took  charge  of 

the  boys 

See  page  no 


CHAPTER   XIV 

A    GHASTLY    DISCOVERY 

The  two  lads  found  themselves  a  bit 
"  winded  "  after  their  severe  struggle.  "  I  'm 
half-ashamed  to  say  how  used  up  I  feel,"  puffed 
Bob.  "  But  for  several  days  we  have  n't  been 
living  on  the  fat  of  the  land." 

'  The  fat  of  this  land  is  a  pretty  poor  qual 
ity,"  added  Lank.  '  These  Arabs  are  brought 
up  in  this  kind  of  life  and  can  thrive  on  al 
most  as  thin  a  diet  as  can  a  camel.  But  the 
question  now  before  us  is  —  what  shall  we  do 
with  these  two?  We  must  settle  on  something 
pretty  quickly.  That  fierce  old  Sheikh  Abdul 
may  be  here  at  any  moment  looking  for  them  ; 
there  is  only  about  a  half  hour  more  of  day 
light." 

1  Well,  what  shall  we  do  with  them  ?  "  echoed 
Bob,  pondering.  "  We  can't  kill  them,  that 's 
certain." 


THE    SULTAN'S    RIVAL 

"  No,  we  can't.  They  would  have  been 
glad  of  an  excuse  for  killing  us  and  getting 
a  high  seat  in  their  Moslem  heaven  by  doing 
so;  but  we  can't  possibly  drop  as  low  as 
that." 

"  Then  how  about  taking  them  with  us  ? 
For  we  must  push  off  toward  the  northwest 
as  soon  and  as  fast  as  possible." 

Lank  shook  his  head.  "  No,  they  would  hold 
back  and  balk  us,  and  besides  we  don't  feel 
very  eager  for  their  society." 

"  I  have  it.  This  is  the  way,"  exclaimed 
Bob ;  and  he  went  over  to  the  camel,  taking  the 
captured  knife  with  him,  and  cut  off  some  strips 
from  a  coarse,  strongly-woven  cloth  which  was 
tied  on  the  camel's  back.  ''  Here  is  the  thing," 
he  continued,  coming  back;  "we  will  tie  them 
and  hobble  them.  We  can't  turn  them  loose, 
and  we  must  n't  tie  them  so  that  they  will  be 
wholly  helpless,  for  the  jackals  would  get  at 
them  in  the  night.  No,  we  will  hobble  them, 
and  tie  their  hands  behind  their  backs.  See, 
in  this  way."  And  he  carefully  tied  Seid  with 

1 60 


A    GHASTLY    DISCOVERY 

the  strip  of  cloth,  despite  that  youth's  mutter 
ing,  and  took  back  his  own  handkerchief. 

"  Capital  idea !  "  exclaimed  Lank,  and  set 
about  aiding  him.  They  tied  the  hands  of  each 
captive  behind  the  back,  and  then  tied  each 
captive's  feet  tightly  together. 

"There!  Now  they  are  all  right,"  declared 
Bob,  looking  at  his  work  with  some  satisfac 
tion.  "  Now  this  is  what  will  happen.  We 
will  start  away  at  once  with  the  camel;  these 
two  will  either  begin  to  hop  back  toward  the 
caravan,  now  more  than  a  mile  away,  probably, 
and  camping  for  the  night,  or  they  will  set 
about  gnawing  each  other  free." 

"  In  that  case,"  commented  Lank,  examin 
ing  his  lacerated  fingers,  "  although  the  old 
lady  got  in  some  good  work  on  my  hand, 
she  will  do  well  to  set  her  dutiful  son  at  the 
job." 

"  Probably,"  was  Bob's  reply.  "  And,  in 
that  case,  Seid  cannot  gnaw  through  his  dear 
ma's  bonds  in  less  than  twenty  minutes;  when 
he  has  done  it  she  can  untie  all  the  other  knots. 

161 


THE    SULTAN'S    RIVAL 

So  that  is  the  way  I  figure  it,  Lank;  and  now 
let 's  be  off,  as  fast  as  we  can." 

There  was  no  need  of  calling  Trump.  That 
clever  bird  had  circled  about  joyously  to  his 
heart's  content,  and  now  had  perched  on  the 
camel,  —  who  was  the  largest  object  visible 
upon  the  scene,  —  and  was  gravely  walking 
about  over  that  stolid  quadruped,  as  if  he  were 
a  possible  purchaser  examining  an  animal  of 
fered  for  sale. 

Seid  and  his  mother  had  relapsed  into  sullen 
silence,  or  nearly  that,  merely  exchanging  at 
short  intervals  some  remark  in  a  low  tone. 
They  were  shrewd  enough  to  see  what  their 
former  captives  —  now  their  captors  —  were 
planning.  They  were  now  apparently  submis 
sive,  but  the  relentless  old  hag's  cruel,  watchful 
eyes  sought  frequently  her  knife,  —  now  in 
Lank's  belt,  —  and  the  boys  knew  that  at  the 
slightest  chance  given  her  she  would  attack 
them  and  try  to  slay  them. 

"  Now  for  the  camel,"  cried  Bob,  and  ran 
toward  that  great,  gaunt  beast  who  was  crop- 

162 


A    GHASTLY    DISCOVERY 

ping  twigs  from  a  low  growth  of  gum-cistus 
shrubs.  "  But,  I  say,  Lank.  How  in  the 
dickens  do  you  make  him  kneel  down  so  that 
we  can  mount  ?  Do  you  remember  the  words  ?  " 

"  I  'm  blessed  if  I  do,"  responded  the  young 
British  sailor,  in  some  perplexity.  "  I  know  a 
bit  about  reefing  and  splicing,  and  I  can  box 
the  compass ;  but  camels  —  although  I  believe 
they  are  called  *  Ships  of  the  desert '  -  have  n't 
been  very  much  in  my  line ;  at  least  not  until  re 
cently."  And  the  good-natured,  hopeful  fellow 
laughed  at  his  own  joke,  and  Bob  was  quite 
ready  to  join,  for  his  hope  of  escape  was  rising. 

'  What  is  more,"  he  added,  "  I  am  a  little 
afraid  if  we  throw  off  that  hobble  that  the 
big  beast  might  take  a  notion  to  start  back  for 
the  caravan;  and  then  what  could  we  do?  I 
say,  Lank,  I  '11  tell  you  how  to  manage  it.  Of 
course  we  must  keep  the  camel,  —  in  partial 
payment  for  the  Saucy  Kate;  he  can  get  us 
along  over  the  sandy  parts  of  our  route  much 
faster  than  we  could  foot  it.  Now  you  give 
me  a  lift  up  on  to  the  camel's  back;  and,  mark 

163 


you,  Lank  [here  Bob's  face  expanded  again], 
I  'm  going  to  have  a  front  seat  this  time,  no 
hanging  on  like  grim  death,  behind  that  shaggy 
old  hump.  Now  you  boost  me  up,  Lank,  and 
I  '11  hold  that  leading-rope  until  you  take  off 
the  hobble ;  then  I  '11  give  you  the  rope  and 
keep  the  stick;  and  I  rather  '  guess  '  —  as  we 
Yankees  say  —  that  we  can  get  up  a  good  rate 
of  speed." 

"  Enough  said,"  replied  Lank.  "  You  're 
skipper.  I  'm  first  mate.  Up  you  go !  Hang 
on,  now!  Brace  your  feet  against  his  neck! 
Are  you  all  right?  " 

The  tough  old  camel,  accustomed  as  he  was 
to  blows  and  overloading,  gave  little  heed  to 
the  movements  of  the  boys.  Bob  seated  him 
self,  and  Lank  unfastened  the  crudely  twisted 
straw-rope  which  bound  the  camel's  right  hind- 
foot  to  his  right  fore-foot.  Then  he  took  the 
end  of  the  leading-rope  and  started  ahead,  and 
the  camel  followed,  snatching  at  a  final  mouth 
ful  of  herbage  as  he  left  the  spot. 

Lank  trudged  along  over  the  sand  much  as 
164 


he  had  been  doing  during  the  past  few  weeks, 
not  making  very  great  speed ;  but  the  difference 
in  his  feeling  now  was  that  he  was  anxious  to 
get  ahead  as  fast  as  possible;  whereas,  in  the 
journey  from  the  coast  straight  toward  Tim- 
buctoo  and  hopeless  slavery,  he  had  been  not 
at  all  eager  to  hasten. 

Naturally  they  glanced  back  as  soon  as  they 
were  well  started  to  see  how  their  two  pris 
oners  conducted  themselves ;  and  they  were  not 
surprised  to  see  them  do  exactly  as  Bob  had 
predicted.  Only  a  few  moments  did  cunning 
old  Taipha  sit  on  the  sand  and  watch  the  de 
parting  fugitives.  She  rose  quickly  to  her  feet 
and,  with  her  surly  son,  went  hopping  and 
hopping  straight  back  in  the  direction  whence 
they  had  come,  as  they  searched  for  the  fag 
ots  for  fuel. 

Evidently  the  effort  was  considerable,  even 
for  their  tough  frames  and  hardened  muscles; 
for  they  paused  every  few  minutes  and  rested, 
and  looked  back  at  the  diminishing  figures 
of  their  former  victims.  "  I  '11  warrant  that 

165 


THE    SULTAN'S    RIVAL 

the  air  is  fairly  blue  all  around  those  two 
lovely  creatures,  with  first-class  Mohammedan 
oaths,"  was  Bob's  facetious  comment,  as  he 
looked  back.  "  And  it 's  all  about  our  fathers 
and  mothers  and  grandfathers  and  grand 
mothers,  and  so  on  back.  I  've  heard  them 
before." 

He  now  became  silent  for  a  moment,  then 
he  exclaimed :  "  I  say,  Lank,  they  've  learned 
their  little  hop-toad  lesson;  they  are  making 
too  slow  headway  to  get  back  and  summon  aid 
to  recapture  us,  and  the  old  lady  has  seated 
herself  while  her  son  is  lying  down  with  his 
head  behind  her;  of  course  he  is  chewing  away 
at  those  strips  of  cloth;  I  hope  they  taste  bet 
ter  than  they  looked ;  I  '11  wager  a  cent  though 
that  if  he  happened  to  swallow  some  of  the 
material  he  could  digest  it  and  grow  fat  on  it; 
these  Arabs  beat  ostriches  all  out  in  the  way 
of  digestion." 

Lank  was  so  urgent  to  keep  on  as  rapidly  as 
possible  that  he  would  not  stop  even  to  watch 
the  Arab  woman  and  her  son;  he  left  it  to 

1 66 


A    GHASTLY    DISCOVERY 

Bob  to  watch  and  report.  And  that  American 
lad  kept  up  a  running  comment  for  Lank's 
benefit.  "  Seid  is  still  at  it.  As  I  remember 
he  had  a  pretty  good  set  of  teeth,  and  all  his 
own.  I  think  he  may  get  through  his  job 
sooner  —  By  Jove,  he  has  gotten  through  it 
already.  Lank,  Lank,  you  must  take  one 
glance!  " 

As  Lank  turned  and  gazed,  the  lads  saw 
the  old  woman  jump  to  her  feet  with  great  alac 
rity;  for  only  a  moment  she  rubbed  her  be 
numbed  hands  and  fingers;  then  she  set  about 
untying  her  son;  this  was  accomplished  in  a 
very  few  moments ;  less  than  two  or  three  min 
utes,  feet  as  well  as  hands;  then  her  own  feet 
were  freed  by  Seid,  and  off  they  ran,  twice  as 
fast  as  Lank  could  make  progress,  over  the 
loose,  red  sand,  straight  in  the  direction  which 
must  bring  them,  in  due  time,  to  their  caravan. 

Bob  drew  a  long  breath  now  of  slightly  in 
creased  anxiety,  and  Lank  said :  "  We  need  to 
get  along  as  fast  as  possible ;  this  camel  is  only 
a  baggage  camel  and  when  those  two  appear  in 

167 


THE    SULTAN'S    RIVAL- 

camp  old  Sheikh  Abdul  will  start  out  for  us 
on  a  swift  riding-camel  and  he  will  bring  along 
his  gun,  too.  Suppose  we  steer  this  big  ship 
of  the  desert  a  bit  more  to  the  west;  I  think 
that  is  our  direction;  how  does  it  strike 
you?  " 

"  You  're  right,  I  think,"  was  Bob's  reply. 
And  the  line  of  march  was  slightly  altered. 
Neither  boy  said  anything  for  several  minutes. 
They  were  anxious;  each  was  silently  calcu 
lating  how  long  it  would  take  the  hardy  Arab 
woman  and  her  equally  hardy  son  to  reach  the 
caravan,  and  then  what  the  chances  were  of 
pursuit  and  recapture. 

Yet,  even  while  they  exulted  in  their  newly 
earned  liberty,  Bob  at  least  was  conscious  of 
a  certain  amount  of  depression  of  spirit,  as 
his  glance  swept  around  over  the  vast,  sandy 
waste,  broken  here  and  there  by  clayey  ridges, 
and  a  wady  or  two,  now  dry,  with  the  rugged 
chain  of  the  Atlas  mountains  far  in  the  distance 
toward  the  north.  The  setting  sun  was  spread 
ing  lavishly  its  ruddy  glow  over  the  great 

1 68 


A    GHASTLY    DISCOVERY 

tawny  tract,  burnishing  it  into  gleaming  bronze, 
which  dazzled  the  eye  with  its  metallic  luster. 

Even  though  Taipha  and  Seid  had  been  mer 
ciless  taskmasters,  they  were  human  beings  and 
there  was  a  sort  of  companionship  in  being 
near  them.  Now  the  two  lads  felt  the  oppres 
sive  weight  of  the  desert  silence  as  they  had 
not  before.  The  camel  counted  for  little  as  a 
companion;  he  was  like  a  great,  awkward  ma 
chine,  dumb  and  unresponsive,  striding  along 
upon  his  broad,  spongy  feet  and  with  nose  in 
the  air.  But  Trump  —  it  must  be  said  to  his 
credit  —  did  his  best  to  enliven  the  hurried, 
anxious  journey.  He  distributed  his  attentions 
quite  impartially  between  Bob  and  Lank,  and 
seemed  to  feel  that  his  most  cheerful  remarks 
were  much  needed. 

The  sun  had  now  set  and  darkness  was  com 
ing  on  apace,  but  the  stars  gave  considerable 
light  and  the  boys  agreed  that  they  must  not 
stop,  but  put  as  much  space  as  possible  be 
tween  themselves  and  their  probable  pursuers. 

Another  source  of  anxiety  had  now  crept 
169 


THE    SULTAN'S    RIVAL 

into  the  boys'  minds ;  and  Bob  showed  what  he 
had  been  thinking  about  when  he  exclaimed, 
with  a  tone  of  relief  and  joy:  "  I  say,  Lank,  I 
find  some  water  in  this  goatskin  bottle  here  on 
the  camel's  saddle,  and  some  barley  cakes  and 
a  few  dates." 

"Is  that  so?"  responded  Lank,  also  with 
evident  satisfaction.  '  That  relieves  my  mind 
a  little.  How  much  water  do  you  judge,  and 
how  much  food?  " 

Bob  weighed  and  shook  the  skin-bottle 
thoughtfully  and  took  another  look  at  the  pouch 
which  held  the  bread  and  dates.  "  I  think  that 
with  care,"  he  replied  slowly,  "  we  can  keep  on 
for  two  days;  we  might  even  make  it  last 
longer." 

;'  Hm-m !  "  was  Lank's  comment,  and  he 
pondered  a  few  moments.  Then  he  said :  "  The 
question  back  of  that  question  is  —  how  long 
could  we  keep  going,  after  we  had  eaten  and 
drunk  all  our  supply  ?  I  suppose,  —  well,  two 
or  three  days.  Sailors  on  a  raft  or  in  a  boat 
have  gone  much  longer  than  that." 

170 


A    GHASTLY    DISCOVERY 

"  It  somewhat  depends,  I  suppose,"  said  Bob, 
"on  how  much  exertion  we  are  making;  if 
we  did  nothing  but  sit  still  or  lie  still  we  could 
last  longer  than  if  we  were  making  physical 
effort."  Then  an  idea  struck  the  generous  lad, 
and  he  spoke  out  abruptly.  "  In  that  case, 
Lank,  old  boy,  you  are  using  yourself  up  much 
faster  than  I  am.  Now,  I  say,  Lank,  you  take 
a  turn  up  here  and  let  me  try  that  jog;  I  must 
do  my  share;  I  can  give  you  a  lift  I  think  so 
that  you  can  climb  up." 

He  was  about  to  suit  his  action  to  his  words 
and  slide  down  to  the  earth ;  but  Lank  now 
spoke  with  more  of  a  tone  of  command  than 
he  usually  assumed.  "  No,  no,  Bob !  I  will  not 
have  it  so.  I  am  stronger  than  you  and  taller, 
and  I  can  get  over  this  loose  sand  faster  than 
you  could.  Moreover,  I  have  been  thinking  of 
a  little  plan.  We  must  manage  to  make  better 
time  than  we  are  doing.  Sheikh  Abdul,  on  a 
swift  riding-camel,  can  make  twice  the  speed 
we  can;  yes,  and  he  probably  is  on  his  way 
after  us  now.  If  he  catches  us  up  you  know 

171 


THE    SULTAN'S    RIVAL 

what  will  happen ;  he  does  n't  set  a  very  high 
value  on  us ;  he  will  take  back  his  camel  —  that 
is  valuable  property;  but  two  uncertain  pieces 
of  property  like  ourselves  —  well,  he  won't 
bother  to  try  and  carry  us  back;  but  —  you 
know  the  rest." 

Bob  shuddered;  he  knew  that  this  was  a 
true  view  of  the  situation;  and  he  remained 
silent  as  Lank  continued :  "  Now  let 's  pull  up 
for  a  few  moments  and  I  '11  show  you  a  little 
thing;  I  think  I  've  a  little  plan  which  will  work." 

Bob  Laurie  was  quite  in  accord,  and  Lank 
and  he  managed  to  check  the  camel  even  with 
out  the  use  of  the  Arabic  "  Ukaf !  "  (Stop!) 
Then  Lank,  with  that  manual  dexterity  which 
was  quite  marked  in  him,  passed  up  the  leading- 
rope  to  Bob,  shortening  it  up  at  the  same  time 
and  cutting  off  about  six  or  eight  feet  of  it. 

'  There !  That  four  feet  of  rope  is  long 
enough  for  you  to  steer  him  by,"  he  said.  "  He 
seems  pretty  tractable.  And  the  longer  piece 
I  will  put  to  good  use !  "  So  speaking,  he 
stepped  back  behind  the  camel  and  tied  one 

172 


A    GHASTLY    DISCOVERY 

end  of  the  rope  to  the  creature's  tail.  "  I  saw 
one  of  the  Arab  children  doing  it,"  he  explained. 
"  Now,  Bob,  you  start  up  the  big  fellow,  and 
use  your  stick  on  him  pretty  freely.  He 's 
tough  as  a  boiled  owl,  and  tougher;  any  little 
whacks  you  may  give  him  will  be  trifles  com 
pared  with  what  he  has  had  all  his  life,  poor 
chap.  I  know  he  has  got  twice  the  speed  in 
him  that  we  have  been  getting  out.  Don't 
worry  about  me;  he  can  pull  me  along  a  lot 
faster  than  I  can  go  alone;  and  we  need  speed 
greatly." 

Bob  could  not  wholly  restrain  a  laugh, 
gloomy  as  was  the  situation.  Then  he  kicked 
at  the  camel's  sides  and  plied  his  stick,  and  for 
ward  the  great,  clumsy  creature  went,  now  at  a 
much  quicker  pace,  and  along  behind  trotted 
Lank,  greatly  aided  in  his  progress  by  his  in 
genious  device  of  the  towing-line. 

Trump  had  been  seated  quietly  on  Bob's 
shoulders  during  the  past  few  minutes;  but 
now  he  journeyed  down,  by  beak  and  claws, 
over  the  lad's  back,  and  over  the  camel,  and 

173 


THE    SULTAN'S    RIVAL 

surveyed  his  master  with  a  critical  eye.  Then 
he  commented :  "What  a  mess !  What  a  mess !  " 
and  went  off  into  the  Arabic  numerals,  "  Wa- 
hed,  etnen,  telatah  "  (One,  two,  three),  and  so 
on  up  to  ten. 

The  new  pace  was  just  as  easy  for  our 
young  friends  as  the  old  one  had  been,  and 
they  were  moving  forward  at  least  twice  as 
fast.  Their  spirits  rose,  and  they  even  joked. 
Afterward  they  began  to  feel  the  fatigue  of  the 
journey,  and  relapsed  into  a  grim,  dogged  si 
lence,  but  forward,  always  forward,  toward  the 
northwest  and  civilization. 

It  was  about  two  o'clock  in  the  morning - 
as    near    as    they    could    judge  —  when    Bob 
caught  sight  of  some  object  moving  across  their 
line  of  march,  ahead  of  them,  and  perhaps  two 
hundred  yards  away. 

"  I  say,  Lank,"  he  callecl  back  to  his  compan 
ion,  in  a  whisper,  "  I  see  something  alive  and 
moving,  ahead."  And  he  instinctively  pulled  in 
on  the  camel,  and  the  obedient  creature  stopped. 

They  could  hear  no  sound,  but  they  knew 
'74 


A    GHASTLY    DISCOVERY 

that  they  themselves  had  made  little  or  no 
sound  in  the  soft,  yielding  sand.  Lank  came 
to  the  front  and  both  boys  stared  hard.  :e  It 
is  moving,"  said  Lank.  "  Slowly,  and  it  looks 
like  a  horse  or  a  donkey;  just  one  animal. 
What  shall  we  do?" 

After  a  few  moments  Bob  advised :  "  What 
ever  it  is,  Lank,  it  is  moving  on  a  slant  away 
from  us.  If  it  were  coming  toward  us,  or  even 
standing  still,  we  might  feel  more  alarm.  I 
say,  let 's  follow  on  a  bit,  and  see  what  it  is." 

So  they  started  up  their  camel,  Lank  walking 
at  his  head,  and  they  slowly  drew  up  on  the 
strange  object.  '  Yes,  it 's  a  donkey.  Sure 
enough,"  said  Bob.  "  And  loaded  with  bag 
gage,  I  judge.  I  say,  Lank,  it 's  a  donkey  that 
has  strayed  from  some  caravan,  and  may  have 
goods  loaded  on  him  which  will  be  worth  every 
thing  to  us  in  the  way  of  food  and  drink;  gold 
and  gems  w^ould  n't  cut  any  figure  with  us, 
but  if  it 's  food  and  water,  they  will  be  wrorth 
their  weight  in  gold  to  us." 

The  dim  object  became  clearer  and  clearer, 


THE    SULTAN'S    RIVAL 

now ;  and  Lank,  whose  eyes  were  trained  by  his 
sea-life,  gave  a  cautious  "  hist !  "  And  added, 
with  excitement :  "  I  believe  that  it  is  a  human 
being  on  the  beast.  But  —  but  Bob,  —  I  -  -  I 
can  see  that  he  is  hanging  with  his  head  down, 
and  with  his  feet  tied  to  the  animal's  neck." 

It  was  a  ghastly  suggestion,  fraught  with 
horrible  fancies;  but  the  boys  slowly  drew 
nearer  and  nearer. 


176 


CHAPTER   XV 

AN    ADDITION    TO    THE    PARTY 

It  is  an  uncanny  experience,  when  you  are 
in  the  midst  of  a  hostile  country,  to  come  sud 
denly  upon  a  strange  human  being  who  may 
prove  to  be  an  enemy  and  may  attack  you. 
But  when  that  human  being  is  fastened,  head 
down,  on  a  donkey,  you  feel  your  nerves  ris 
ing  into  "  Creeps,"  and  becoming  hard  to 
control. 

Lank  insisted  on  taking  the  lead,  although 
he  pretended  to  look  to  Bob  Laurie  as  "  Cap 
tain  ;  "  yet  whenever  there  was  any  hardship 
to  be  undergone  or  any  danger  to  be  faced, 
the  big-hearted  fellow  at  once  "  Mutinied " 
and  took  the  lead.  So  now,  with  knife  in 
hand,  he  led  the  way  toward  the  strange  ob 
ject  or  objects. 

The  donkey,  of  a  gray  color,  made  no  at- 
177 


THE    SULTAN'S    RIVAL 

tempt  to  evade  them,  and  they  came  up  to 
him  and  laid  hold  of  what  was  left  of  a 
straw  halter  around  the  animal's  neck.  It  had 
been  cut  off  close  to  the  neck,  which  indicated 
that  somebody  had  done  it  hastily  and  waste- 
fully,  probably  to  set  him  adrift. 

Then  Lank  guardedly  lifted  the  human  fig 
ure  a  bit,  spoke  to  the  man,  and  received  no 
answer.  "  He  's  alive,  though,"  was  his  com 
ment,  as  he  touched  the  man's  face  and  hands 
and  put  his  ear  down  to  his  lips.  "  Alive  and 
breathing;  but  there  is  blood  on  his  face  and 
arms,  and  —  well,  the  first  thing  is  to  get  him 
righted  up."  And  he  cut  the  knot  which  fas 
tened  the  man's  feet  at  the  donkey's  neck,  and 
likewise  a  braided  hair  rope  which  ran  around 
the  animal's  body  and  held  the  man  a  few 
inches  from  the  ground. 

Bob  was  doubtful  about  leaving  the  camel; 
and  Lank  directed :  "  Just  take  that  hobble 
from  the  saddle  where  I  hung  it ;  I  '11  lay 
this  poor  chap  down  a  minute  and  we  will 
hobble  the  camel." 

178 


AN  ADDITION  TO  THE  PARTY 

This  they  managed  to  do,  both  of  them 
working  together;  then  they  returned  to  the 
donkey,  who  showed  no  disposition  to  wan 
der,  and  seemed  to  be  —  as  nearly  as  they 
could  make  out  in  the  dim  starlight  —  a 
broken-down  and  much-abused  creature. 

Lank  knelt  down  beside  the  unconscious 
man,  who  was  nearly  naked,  his  loose  clothes 
having  been  torn  off  or  jolted  off  by  his  un 
natural  posture;  the  man's  hands  and  arms 
were  lacerated  where  they  had  dragged  across 
the  sand,  and  there  was  a  wound  on  his  face. 

''  What  shall  we  do  ?  "  asked  Lank,  as  they 
waited.  "  Whether  he  is  badly  hurt  or  not 
I  can't  say.  At  any  rate  we  have  n't  any 
medicine,  and  — "  Then  he  bethought  him 
of  the  water  in  the  skin-bottle.  "  I  say,  Bob, 
we  must  try  him  with  a  little  of  that  water." 

'  That 's  so,"  responded  Bob  at  once. 
"  Come  and  give  me  a  lift  and  I  will  untie  it 
from  the  horn  of  the  saddle."  And  while  the 
two  were  doing  this,  he  kept  thinking:  "We 

have  mighty  little  water,  anyway,  and  not  a 

179 


THE    SULTAN'S    RIVAL 

drop  to  spare;  but  we  must,  we  must  give 
that  poor  chap  at  least  a  sip." 

This  likewise  was  in  Lank's  mind,  as  he 
afterward  admitted;  but  neither  boy  said  a 
word  about  it  at  the  time.  So  the  water  was 
brought,  Lank  lifted  the  man's  head,  and  Bob 
poured  a  little,  carefully,  into  the  man's  mouth. 

'  Yes,  he  swallows  it  all  right,"  cried  Bob, 
and  poured  in  more.  "  Yes,  he  swallows 
that,  too."  Then  some  more;  then  the  man 
heaved  a  great  sigh,  and  muttered  something. 
"  Moiyeh !  Moiyeh !  "  (Water !  Water !) 

'  Yes,  I  remember  the  word,"  exclaimed 
Bob;  "that  means  'water.''  And  he  gave 
the  man  one  or  two  full  swallows,  at  which 
Lank  groaned;  for  on  that  slight  supply  of 
water  all  their  lives  might  be  depending. 

"  There !  There !  That  is  enough,  I  know," 
interposed  Lank ;  "  for  the  present,  at  least. 
Now  let 's  wait  a  bit."  And  they  waited.  Al 
though  they  felt  extremely  anxious  about  re 
lentless  old  Sheikh  Abdul,  they  risked  the  delay 

in  order  to  serve  the  need  of  a  fellow  being. 

1 80 


AN  ADDITION  TO  THE  PARTY 

Soon  the  man  regained  consciousness,  and 
he  opened  his  eyes  and  stared  at  them;  then 
he  spoke  to  them,  as  they  judged,  in  Arabic, 
but  they  shook  their  heads  hopelessly;  then 
Bob  spoke  to  him  in  English,  and  what  was 
the  boys'  surprise  and  joy  when  the  man  an 
swered,  although  with  effort,  in  the  same 
tongue. 

"You  English?"  he  asked. 

"Yes,"  replied  Bob;  "English  he  — and 
American  I." 

"  Good !  I  speak  English  —  little.  Tangier, 
Algiers."  Then  he  shut  his  eyes  and  sighed, 
and  remained  silent.  Soon  he  roused,  and  sat 
up.  Then  he  told  them  his  story,  brokenly 
but  intelligibly.  He  said  that  he  was  a  Jewish 
merchant,  Sabah  by  name,  from  Mogador, 
and  had  been  set  upon  by  Arabs  while  carry 
ing  goods  across  to  Tafilet,  and  plundered,  and 
tied  on  this  old  donkey,  and  turned  adrift. 

"  Were  you  alone  ?  "  asked  Bob,  sympatheti 
cally. 

Sabah  shook  his  head,  mournfully :  "  No ; 
181 


THE    SULTAN'S    RIVAL 

brother  and  —  and  two  others ;  they  help 
brother  and  me." 

"Where  are  they  now?"  asked  Bob. 

The  unhappy  man  paused  a  moment,  and 
then  answered:  "Dead,  I  think,  dead,"  and 
he  drew  his  finger  across  his  throat  in  a  sig 
nificant  fashion. 

"  When  did  the  Arabs  do  this  ?  "  continued 
Bob.  "  How  long  have  you  been  on  this 
animal  ?  " 

"  I  not  know  where,  and  I  not  know  how 
long,"  replied  the  man.  "  Noon  when  I  was 
struck  here  [and  he  put  his  hand  to  his 
wounded  head],  and  when  I  was  put  there." 

There  were  no  means  of  knowing  just  how 
long  the  poor  fellow  had  been  borne  about 
over  the  dreary  waste.  It  might  have  been 
for  a  few  hours,  or  for  two  or  three  days. 
But  he  seemed  an  intelligent,  honest  sort  of 
man,  and  was  very  grateful  for  his  rescue. 
"  Nazrani  [Christians]  good  people,"  he  said. 

Lank  now  broke  in,  saying :  "  We  must  not 
waste  any  more  time.  We  have  lost  nearly 

182 


AN  ADDITION  TO  THE  PARTY 

an  hour,  Bob.  What  shall  we  do  about  this 
chap?  He  seems  not  so  badly  off;  he  prob 
ably  can  travel;  the  only  thing  to  do  is  to 
take  him  along  with  us,  as  it  seems  to  me." 

"  I  agree,"  responded  Bob;  "  and  he  may  be 
able  to  help  us  to  find  our  way."  So  they 
told  Sabah,  in  a  few  words,  that  they  were 
escaping  from  some  Souss  Arabs,  and  were 
trying  to  get  to  the  city  of  Marrakesh,  where 
they  hoped  to  find  some  Europeans.  "  Is 
Marrakesh  near?  " 

''  Where  are  we,  I  know  not ;  I  am  not 
sure,"  was  Sabah's  answer.  "  How  far  I 
travel  on  him,  I  not  know." 

Bob  eyed  the  lean,  weak  donkey  and  re 
plied,  "  Not  far,  not  a  long  distance,  I  am 
sure." 

"  He  not  my  donkey,"  continued  Sabah, 
with  a  gesture  of  scorn.  :<  I  own  —  I  own 
once  many  donkeys,  good  ones;  he  not  good. 
But  I  think  —  I  think  —  (here  he  arose, 
leaning  on  Lank,  and  looked  up  at  the  stars 
a  few  moments)  "I  think  Marrakesh  there; 

183 


and   I    think  —  Mogador,   my   home  —  there ; 
but  longer  journey." 

'  Very  good !  very  good !  "  interrupted  Lank, 
restlessly.  "  We  go  to  Marrakesh;  you  know 
the  way?  " 

'  Yes,  I  know.  I  make  many  journeys. 
Water,  have  you  water?  And  food?" 

'  That 's  the  rub,"  said  Bob,  shaking  his 
head,  and  holding  up  the  half -empty  leather 
bottle. 

Whereupon  Sabah  grew  thoughtful  and  anx 
ious.  "  Must  have  water,"  he  remarked. 

In  a  few  moments  the  three  were  on  their 
journey  again;  Sabah  upright  on  the  donkey, 
Bob  on  the  camel  with  Trump  (now  sleepy), 
and  Lank  footing  it  resolutely  through  the 
loose  sand. 

Another  fatiguing  hour,  and  Sabah  said: 
"  Must  rest.  Rest  now,  and  I  find  water.  I 
know  right  road  now;  my  head  better." 

Lank  and  Bob  decided  that  they  would  risk 
a  short  delay ;  they  were  dead  tired,  and  knew 

they  must  not  utterly  exhaust  themselves.     So 

184 


AN  ADDITION  TO  THE  PARTY 

they  pulled  up,  and  hobbled  the  camel,  and 
stretched  themselves  out  upon  the  sand,  each 
scooping  out  a  hollow  in  which  to  lie,  for  the 
night  air  was  chill  when  they  ceased  their 
exertions. 

Bob  gave  out  two  or  three  dates  apiece  and 
a  bit  of  the  bread,  and,  slowly  chewing  these 
dry  morsels,  all  then  fell  asleep. 


185 


CHAPTER   XVI 

THE    REKKAH    AND    HIS    MESSAGE 

Soon  after  sunrise  Lank  awoke  and  promptly 
aroused  his  companions.  Trump,  the  parrot, 
was  already  awake,  and  was  taking  short 
flights  of  exploration  out  over  the  barren 
desert,  but  seemed  to  find  little  that  was  sat 
isfactory.  "What  a  mess!  What  a  mess!" 
he  cried,  as  he  came  back  to  Lank's  shoulder. 
Then  he  called  loudly  for  water;  and,  after 
he  had  been  given  a  little,  he  evidently  thought 
better  of  the  dry,  red  plain  of  sand,  and  cracked 
his  whip  a  few  times,  and  went  off  a  short 
distance  looking  for  insects;  and  he  found 
some,  —  a  few  beetles,  black  with  yellow  spots, 
and  a  strayed  locust  or  two. 

Sabah  awoke,  much  stronger  in  body  and 
more  hopeful  in  spirit.  After  munching  a  few 
dates  and  morsels  of  the  barley  bannock,  and 

1 86 


each  taking  a  small  drink  of  the  precious  water, 
Sabah  said,  "  I  lead.  You  say  '  yes  '  ?  "  And 
Bob  and  Lank  both  said  "  yes,"  promptly;  for 
the  young  Jew  (he  seemed  to  be  not  much  over 
twenty)  had  an  intelligent  and  sincere  face, 
and  he  seemed  to  know  what  to  do. 

"  I  find  water,  I  think,"  he  said.  "  On  road 
to  Marrakesh,  too.  Come  on!  Come  on! 
Long  journey,  but  find  water.  I  know  —  I 
know-  '  and  he  completed  his  sentence  by 
sweeping  his  arm  out  over  the  region  before 
them.  Very  likely  he  had  traveled  across  it 
many  times  in  his  vocation  as  a  trader  among 
the  scattered  towns  and  villages. 

Sabah's  attitude  toward  Trump,  the  parrot, 
was  amusing.  The  Jewish  youth  was  intelli 
gent  and  had  seen  many  kinds  of  people ;  had 
traveled  even  into  Spain;  but  he  had  never 
seen  a  feathered  creature  who  could  express, 
in  human  speech,  such  sage  ideas  as  could 
Trump;  and,  although  Sabah  had  but  little  of 
the  gross  superstition  about  djinns  which  so 
saturated  the  minds  of  Arabs  and  Moors,  he 

187 


THE    SULTAN'S    RIVAL 

could  not  quite  feel  comfortable  in  company 
with  such  a  weird  creature. 

Somehow  Trump,  by  his  singular  powers  of 
perception,  seemed  to  understand  Sabah's  fear 
of  him,  and  he  hugely  enjoyed  annoying  him, 
either  by  hovering  close  over  his  head  and 
uttering  some  sage  remark  in  English  or 
French  or  Arabic,  or  by  sitting  for  a  brief 
moment  on  Sabah's  head. 

However,  the  little  party  —  a  very  forlorn 
and  anxious  party,  too  —  got  along  extremely 
well;  and  they  covered  considerable  ground 
during  the  next  five  hours.  Then  Sabah,  who 
had  taken  the  responsibility  of  their  direction, 
brought  them  to  a  wady  or  water-course  (now, 
alas,  dry  as  the  sandy  desert)  which  had  steep 
sides;  it  was  a  gulley,  cut  like  a  gash  into  the 
earth,  which  was  of  a  clayey  texture  with 
loose  pebbles  scattered  over  it. 

"  Here,"  said  he,  with  satisfaction,  "  we 
rest  two  —  four  hours,  perhaps.  Then  we  go 
more.  Not  good  go  with  sun  high  up  there; 
better  go  when  clown  there." 

1 88 


THE   REKKAH   AND   HIS   MESSAGE 

The  clever  fellow  knew  what  he  was  about, 
and  our  young  friends  trusted  him  more  and 
more;  he  seemed  grateful  to  them  for  saving 
his  life,  and  to  trust  them  wholly.  He  led  the 
party,  by  a  sloping  descent,  down  into  the 
gulley,  and  found  a  spot  where  the  bank  was 
especially  steep,  affording  a  shadow  from  the 
burning  rays  of  the  sun.  ''  Here  you  lie 
down,"  he  said,  "  and  rest ;  and  I  go  to 
watch,  up  there,"  and  he  pointed  to  the  top 
of  the  bank.  "  Sheikh  Abdul  —  fierce  men  those 
Souss  Arabs  —  may  follow.  I  see  him  if 
come." 

Saying  this,  the  faithful  fellow  took  the 
cloth  from  the  camel,  climbed  up  the  bank, 
and  seated  himself  near  the  edge,  drawing  the 
cloth  loosely  over  his  head  to  shut  out  the  sun. 

As  it  turned  out,  this  precaution  was  un 
necessary;  but  Bob  was  glad  to  see  how  cau 
tious  their  new  friend  was,  and  he  and  Lank 
stretched  themselves  out  on  the  ground,  and 
gave  themselves  up  to  deep,  refreshing  sleep. 

Sheikh  Abdul  did  not  appear,  and,  as  Bob 
189 


THE    SULTAN'S    RIVAL 

remarked,  "  Doubtless  his  feelings  could  be 
better  imagined  than  described."  The  lad 
chuckled  not  a  little,  despite  the  gloomy  situa 
tion,  as  he  pictured  the  impotent  wrath  of  the 
tyrannical,  ferocious  Souss  Arab  at  the  loss 
of  his  camel  and  his  white  captives. 

At  four  o'clock  they  started  again  on  their 
journey.  All  three  felt  the  pangs  of  thirst 
gaining  in  strength;  and  now,  by  common 
consent,  they  divided  equally  and  drank  nearly 
all  the  water  remaining  in  the  leather  bottle. 
A  very  little  they  reserved  for  any  unknown 
emergency. 

Hour  after  hour  they  marched  onward. 
The  sun  dipped  below  the  western  horizon, 
and  Bob  remarked,  gloomily,  "  I  wish  I  could 
see  the  continent  and  the  country  which  that 
sun  is  now  looking  down  upon." 

Lank  caught  his  idea  at  once,  and,  after  a 
moment's  reflection,  he  said :  "  Yes,  it  is  about 
sunrise  in  the  United  States  now.  But,  cheer 
up,  Bob,  you  will  see  that  country  again, 
all  right." 

190 


THE   REKKAH   AND   HIS   MESSAGE 

"  Think  so  ?  "  asked  Bob,  shaking  his  head 
doubtfully. 

"  I  certainly  do.  I  Ve  been  in  some  hard 
places  in  my  time,  but  I  pulled  through.  Why, 
just  recall  that  tidal  wave,  Bob !  What  did  you 
think  when  you  saw  that  coming?  My,  but 
that  was  a  rusher.  I  Ve  seen  two  of  them 
before,  but  never  such  a  big  pne.  Once,  when 
I  was  on  a  White  Star  Liner  to  Boston  —  " 

"  What !  Do  you  mean  that  you  ever  saw 
Boston  ?  "  exclaimed  Bob,  excitedly. 

"  Nothing  less,"  was  the  British  lad's  cool 
reply.  "  I  sailed  into  the  port  of  Boston  twice, 
both  times  on  a  White  Star;  good,  staunch 
boats,  those,  and  always  with  a  good,  clear 
head  and  steady  hand  in  command,  too.  If 
we  had  n't  had  such,  on  my  first  trip  across, 
we  would  have  gone  to  smash;  that  wave 
was  n't  as  big  as  ours  off  this  coast." 

From  this  remark  Lank  went  on,  ingeni 
ously  spinning  yarns  about  his  voyages  and 
adventures;  and  he  succeeded  in  what  he 
aimed  at,  —  he  lifted  Bob  out  of  his  gloomy 

191 


THE    SULTAN'S    RIVAL 

forebodings,  and  made  him  forget  his  thirst 
and  fatigue. 

On  they  went;  straight  on  through  the 
night.  They  must  have  presented  a  humorous 
sight  to  any  wild  creatures  who  might  have 
scented  or  seen  them.  "  Funny  enough  to  make 
a  laughing-hyena  laugh  himself  to  death!" 
as  Bob  remarked.  For  our  two  English 
friends  insisted  on  Sabah's  taking  his  place 
on  the  camel,  because  he  was  weak,  and  be 
cause  he  could  there  better  direct  their  course 
and  keep  a  good  lookout. 

Then  Lank  fell  in  behind,  with  his  tow-line 
tied  to  the  stout  camel's  tail,  and  he  had  made 
another  tow-line  for  Bob,  which  he  fastened 
around  his  own  waist;  so  that  the  two  lads 
formecl  what  Bob  called  "  The  bobs  of  the 
kite."  "Three  bobs  in  all,"  he  declared. 
"  I  'm  a  Bob  by  name  and  one  by  occupation ; 
and  then  you,  Lank,  are  a  third,"  at  which 
they  laughed  a  bit,  and  felt  better;  but  Bob 
said  he  would  not  try  to  explain  his  little 
joke  to  Sabah ;  "  the  meager  vocabulary  of 

192 


THE   REKKAH   AND   HIS   MESSAGE 

words  between  the  two  would  not  bear  the 
strain." 

The  donkey,  singularly  enough,  —  and  yet 
not  so  strange  it  was,  —  needed  not  to  be  driven 
or  even  led.  The  clever  little  beast  seemed  to 
realize  that  his  hope  of  life  lay  in  keeping  with 
these  two-legged  companions,  and  he  walked  or 
trotted  closely  after  them;  but  his  sharp  little 
hoofs  were  not  fitted  for  desert  travel,  and  he 
breathed  heavily,  but  kept  pluckily  on. 

With  the  exception  of  two  rests,  of  a  half 
hour  each,  the  little  party,  tired,  anxious,  al 
most  in  despair,  plodded  on  and  on  through 
the  dim,  starlit  night.  They  had  not  seen  a 
human  being  nor  any  wild  animal.  Once  or 
twice  in  the  daytime  a  vulture,  soaring  and 
sailing  on  his  broad  pinions,  had  come  into  the 
circle  of  their  vision,  as  he  floated  high  in  air ; 
and  doubtless  he  had  sighted  them  from  a 
much  greater  distance  than  they  had  sighted 
him.  At  such  times  Bob  shook  his  fist  at  the 
great,  carnivorous  scavenger-bird,  and  called 
out,  in  grim  fun :  "  Not  yet,  old  fellow !  You  're 


THE    SULTAN'S    RIVAL 

early!  Come  around  later,  and  it  may  be 
worth  your  while.  But  there  's  life  left  in  us 
yet." 

Early  on  this  particular  morning  Sabah 
seemed  unusually  alert  and  eager.  As  the  sun 
rose,  off  at  the  right,  he  scanned  the  desert  on 
every  side,  as  if  searching  for  something,  and 
Bob  asked  him,  presently,  if  he  was  looking  for 
some  particular  object. 

'  Yes,  yes,"  was  the  young  man's  reply,  not 
relaxing  his  watchful  attitude ;  "  I  seek  track  - 
track  of  caravans  —  from  inland  for  —  Moga- 
dor ;  '  Mogador,'  you  call  it ;  we  call  it,  in 
Arabic,  '  Suira,  the  beautiful.' '  And  still  the 
young  fellow  kept  his  gaze  sweeping  the  field 
of  vision  around  him. 

This  finding  the  caravan  track  was  harder 
than  the  reader  might  suppose,  because,  across 
the  desert,  the  caravans  do  not  travel  in  close 
marching  order  like  troops  on  a  highway,  but 
they  spread  out,  usually,  one  place  being  about 
as  good  as  another.  Thus  no  plainly  trodden 
track  is  left  by  them,  and,  besides,  the  sand 

194 


THE   REKKAH   AND   HIS   MESSAGE 

drifts  easily,  in  the  wind,  and  soon  covers 
whatever  footprints  are  made. 

But  Sabah's  eager  scrutiny  was  now  re 
warded.  He  discovered  faint  footprints  ahead, 
and,  after  careful  examination,  said  he  was 
sure  about  the  caravan  track.  As  soon  as  he 
had  settled  this  point  he  climbed  back  upon  the 
camel,  and  stood  upright,  thus  looking  off 
toward  the  northeast,  where  the  surface  of  the 
country  rose  into  low  hills  and  was  more 
broken.  "  Where?  Where?  "  he  muttered,  in 
Arabic,  to  himself.  Then  he  exclaimed  in  Eng 
lish  :  "  Ah,  there !  I  see,  I  see,"  and  he  pointed 
joyfully  toward  some  objects  far  away.  "  Yes, 
the  —  the  '  Koubah,'  we  say  it.  The  Koubah, 
the  —  the  tomb  of  the  Saint  Sidi  Ben  Yazeed 
[The  Lord,  the  son  of  Yazeed] ;  now  we  find 
water  soon ;  you  have  much  thirst  ?  " 

This  last  kind-hearted  inquiry  he  directed 
to  the  boys,  whose  lips,  dry  and  hard,  indi 
cated  the  terrible  thirst  with  which  they  were 
struggling. 

"  Yes,  I  rather  think  we  have  a  good,  big 
195 


THE    SULTAN'S    RIVAL 

thirst,"  replied  Bob;  and  his  speech,  despite 
his  humorous  way  of  putting  it,  was  thick  and 
almost  unintelligible,  so  dry  was  his  tongue. 

"  Come,  come  fast,"  was  Sabah's  earnest  in 
junction.  And  he  led  the  way,  now  on  foot, 
with  eager  energy,  looking  back  at  times  to 
assure  himself  that  his  two  friends  had  not 
given  out. 

"  Never  fear,  we  're  after  you,"  called  Bob, 
thickly.  "  I  'd  give  just  one  million  dollars  for 
a  quart  of  —  no,  for  two  quarts  of  water."  He 
corrected  himself,  looking  at  Lank.  "  One 
quart  would  do  for  me,  for  a  while,  and  you 
should  have  the  other,  Lank,  old  man." 

"  Shall  we  find  water  at  this  Koubah?  "  asked 
Lankester,  presently;  and  his  speech  likewise 
showed  the  parched  condition  of  his  lips  and 
tongue. 

"  No,  not  there,"  replied  Sabah;  "  but  — but 
—  I  show,  I  show  you." 

His  actions  now  puzzled  the  lads,  who  were 
watching  him  closely;  they  knew  that  their 

lives  depended  on  him.     He  was  leading  them 

196 


THE   REKKAH   AND   HIS   MESSAGE 

toward  the  Koubah,  but  he  was  scanning  the 
country,  off  at  the  right,  shading  his  eyes  at 
times  with  his  hand.  The  boys  wondered,  and 
exchanged  comments,  but  could  not  see  what 
he  was  about.  They  were  nearing  the  Koubah, 
whose  white  dome  lifted  itself  above  a  clump 
of  oleanders  which  were  fully  ten  feet  high. 

An  exclamation  of  satisfaction  now  escaped 
Sabah's  lips,  and  he  bade  them  stay  where  they 
were.  ''  Wait,"  he  said,  "  and  watch  me." 
Whereupon  he  started  off,  alone,  carrying  with 
him  the  stout  staff  which  Bob  had  taken  from 
Seid,  and  walked  rapidly  toward  the  southeast, 
nearly  a  quarter  of  a  mile.  There  he  began  to 
proceed  more  cautiously,  and  repeatedly  glanced 
toward  the  boys  and  toward  some  mark  on 
the  low  line  of  hills  beyond  him. 

:t  What  in  the  world  is  he  up  to?  "  exclaimed 
Bob.  "  O,  I  think  I  see,  now." 

And  Lank  added:  "Yes,  he  is  getting  his 
bearings,  as  we  sailormen  say.  He  's  all  right ; 
we  need  n't  worry." 

Sabah  was  now  moving  very  slowly,  and  was 
197 


THE    SULTAN'S    RIVAL 

striking  the  heavy  staff  sharply  upon  the 
ground,  in  one  place  and  another.  Suddenly  he 
waved  it  aloft,  and  shouted,  "Come!  I  find 
him." 

They  were  still  somewhat  mystified,  but  they 
hurried  over  toward  him,  and  when  they 
reached  the  spot  the  clever,  faithful  Jewish 
lad  had  gotten  the  mouth  of  a  well  cleared 
away.  The  boys  understood  it  all,  now.  The 
ground  here  was  more  clayey  and  firmer;  a 
well  had  been  dug,  perhaps  a  century  before, 
and  its  mouth  was  covered  by  several  stout 
poles  overlaid  with  a  large  camel-hide;  this, 
in  turn,  being  covered  with  a  foot  or  two  of 
loose  sand. 

Bob's  interest  in  the  clever  device  was  great, 
but  his  craving  for  water  was  far  greater ;  and 
he  clutched  the  gourd  which  Sabah  had  ready 
for  him,  and  swallowed  the  water  with  a  wild 
eagerness.  A  pint  or  more  he  poured  down  his 
parched  throat,  then  bethought  him  of  faithful, 
patient  Lankester  Diggles,  and  passed  the  half- 
emptied  gourd  at  once  to  him. 

198 


THE  REKKAH  AND   HIS   MESSAGE 

"  I  see  the  whole  thing,  now,"  said  Bob,  after 
he  had  taken  a  good,  long  drink  from  another 
gourd-full.  "  This  well  is  known  to  only  a  few 
persons,  and,  luckily  for  us,  our  good  friend, 
Sabah,  is  one  of  them.  See  that  rope!  And 
this  gourd!  The  whole  outfit  left  in  good 
condition  by  the  last  users  for  the  next  comers. 
Each  person  in  the  secret  knows  the  '  Bear 
ings  '  of  the  Koubah  and  some  other  marks,  — 
probably  that  rock  over  there  on  that  hill." 

Sabah,  who  had  not  yet  slaked  his  own 
thirst,  now  drank  a  whole  gourd-full  himself. 
Then  he  set  about  quenching  the  thirst  of  the 
camel  and  donkey,  by  pouring  water  into  a 
fold  of  the  thickly-woven  cloth  which  had  been 
borne  on  the  camel's  back;  it  leaked  a  little, 
but  Sabah  managed  to  make  it  serve  as  a 
trough,  and  he  toiled  faithfully,  nearly  a  half 
hour,  while  Bob  and  Lank,  who  had  offered 
in  vain  to  help,  lay  and  rested  upon  the  ground. 
A  few  drops  from  Lank's  palm  had  sufficed 
for  Trump,  and  he  now  strode  about,  showing 
off  his  linguistic  attainments,  or  flew  about 

199 


THE    SULTAN'S    RIVAL 

Sabah's  head,  cawing  like  a  real  English  rook, 
whereat  Sabah  was  made  somewhat  uneasy. 

Finally  the  animals  were  satisfied,  or  nearly 
so,  the  leather  bottle  was  filled,  and  Sabah 
allowed  the  boys  to  help  him  put  back  the  in 
genious  cover  of  the  well.  The  water  was  not 
of  the  best  quality,  but  it  was  water,  and  had 
seemed  —  especially,  the  first  few  swallows  - 
the  purest  and  sweetest  Bob  had  ever  tasted. 
After  this  Sabah  called  upon  them  to  take  up 
again  their  march.  "  We  must  not  stay  here," 
he  said;  "this  region  is  —  is  danger.  Wild 
people  come  to  Saint's  Tomb;  tear  hair,  and 
cut  arms  and  legs,  and  - 

"  He  means  some  of  those  Moslem  fanatics,  I 
understand,"  interrupted  Bob.  "  There  are 
bands  of  them  all  over  the  country.  And,  when 
they  are  worked  up  into  a  fury,  they  kill  any 
Nazrani  [Christians]  or  Jews  that  they  meet." 

'Yes;  Nazrani,"  eagerly  confirmed  Sabah, 
who  heard  the  word.  "  You  Nazrani,  I  Jew  of 
Suira;  they  kill  both  when  they  tear  hair  and 
cut  flesh." 

200 


THE   REKKAH  AND  HIS  MESSAGE 

"  That 's  perfectly  clear  to  us,"  assented  Bob, 
now  smiling  at  the  young  man's  form  of  speech ; 
"  and  we  are  with  you  for  the  city  of  Marra- 
kesh  [Morocco]  as  fast  as  possible." 

"  You  know  where  we  are,  now,"  said  Lan- 
kester  Diggles,  as  the  party  set  out  again  on 
the  wearisome  tramp.  "  Do  you  know  how  far 
Marrakesh  is  from  here?  ' 

Sabah  replied  without  hesitation :  "  Yes ;  it 
is  what  you  call  '  miles  ';  well,  about  miles  one 
hundred." 

'  Then  we  need  to  get  over  the  ground  as 
fast  as  we  can;  that  is  evident,"  was  Lank's 
comment,  and  they  all  felt  this  to  be  true.  So 
they  bent  to  their  task  with  grim  determination. 

At  noon  they  did  not  halt.  There  was  no 
shady  spot  to  be  found,  and  the  full  supply  of 
water  which  each  had  drunk  had  much  re 
freshed  him.  Over  the  hot,  powdery  desert 
they  strode,  and  each  was  resolved  that  he 
would  hold  out  to  the  bitter  end.  Their  scant 
supply  of  food  was  gone,  and  they  were  taking 
serious  chances  as  to  finding  more.  Lank  and 

20 1 


THE    SULTAN'S    RIVAL 

Bob  did  not  know  it  at  the  time,  but  Sabah 
told  them,  later,  that  he  had  one  resource  left 
which  he  had  not  mentioned.  He  said  that  he 
had  intended,  in  case  they  found  nothing,  to 
take  the  donkey  some  distance  away,  that  night, 
and  kill  him,  and  offer  them  raw  donkey-steak 
in  the  morning. 

But  this  unpleasant  resource  proved  not  to 
be  necessary,  for  something  happened;  some 
thing  which  was  ghastly  indeed,  when  con 
sidered  alone,  but  favorable  to  them,  in  part. 

It  was  about  four  o'clock  in  the  afternoon; 
they  were  making  good  time,  and  they  were  in 
fairly  good  marching  condition,  although  Bob's 
feet  were  getting  chafed  and  sore.  Suddenly 
Lank,  w7ith  his  keen  eyesight,  saw  some  dark 
object  against  the  reddish  field  of  color  offered 
by  the  sand-surface  more  than  a  mile  away  at 
their  left.  He  paused  and  shaded  his  eyes  with 
his  hand,  for  the  sun  was  low  in  the  sky  and 
very  blinding.  "  Do  you  see  that  —  that  thing, 
over  there?  See,  Bob!  What  do  you  make  of 

it?" 

202 


THE  REKKAH  AND  HIS   MESSAGE 

Bob  looked,  for  a  moment.  "  Do  you  suppose 
it  is  a  piece  of  rock  jutting  up  through  the 
sand  ?  "  he  asked,  in  turn.  "  No,  it  does  n't 
look  like  it.  Sabah,  look!  What  is  that?  " 

After  a  few  seconds  of  conjecture,  Bob  sug 
gested  :  "  Let 's  go  over  and  have  a  look  at  it. 
It  seems  to  me  more  like  some  creature ;  a  — 
a  —  well,  a  man,  perhaps." 

So  with  some  caution  and  a  little  dread  they 
turned  aside  and  went  nearer.  Nobody  spoke; 
but,  as  they  came  closer,  the  dreadful  truth 
was  forced  upon  each  of  them.  At  length 
they  were  standing  in  silence  around  the  almost 
naked  body  of  a  man.  One  glance  at  the  fixed, 
strained  face  was  enough  to  show  that  the  man 
was  dead.  "  Not  long  dead,"  remarked  Sabah ; 
and,  glancing  around  the  heated  blue  of  the 
heavens,  he  pointed  out  two  vultures  flying 
rapidly  toward  them;  and,  by  listening,  the 
boys  could  make  out  the  shrill,  whistling  cries 
which  the  African  vulture  utters.  "  Not  come 
yet,"  Sabah  added. 

The  man  who  lay  motionless  before  them 
203 


THE   SULTAN'S   RIVAL 

was  naked  except  for  a  loin-cloth ;  and  a  leather 
wallet  hung  by  a  cord  slung  around  his  neck. 
Beside  him  lay  a  stout  staff  about  six  feet  long. 
His  form  was  thin  and  sinewy,  and  his  hands 
were  clenched. 

"  What  do  you  think?  "  asked  Bob  of  Sabah, 
and  pointed  at  the  prostrate  body. 

Sabah  replied  readily :    "  He  rekkah;  a  —  a 
courier ;   Sultan,  Khedive,  great  men,  chiefs  - 
all  have  rekkahs;  they  carry  news  across  hills 
and  plains.    He  no  more  carry  news." 

"  Hm-m ! "  mused  Bob,  sadly ;  then  he 
asked,  "  But  how  did  he  die  ?  What  think  you, 
Sabah?  Arabs  kill  him?" 

Sabah  shook  his  head,  reflectively.  He  was 
looking  critically  at  the  man.  Now  he  kneeled 
down  and  moved  the  body  about.  "  Ah !  I  now 
know,"  he  exclaimed.  "  His  leg  broken.  He 
drag  hisself  day  and  night."  He  pointed  out 
the  trail,  now  easily  discernible,  which  the  dis 
abled  man  had  made  as  he  had  dragged  him 
self  along. 

"  Yes,  he  break  leg,  back  —  somewhere  back 
204 


THE   REKKAH   AND   HIS   MESSAGE 

there;  many  mile  back,  perhaps.  He  crawl 
and  crawl,  and  he  have  thirst,  much  thirst; 
and  —  he  die." 

Bob  shuddered.  Death  by  thirst.  He  and 
Lank  could  understand  what  that  was  like. 
"  Poor  fellow!  "  he  ejaculated.  "  How  I  wish 
we  had  reached  him  sooner.  But  what  is  in  his 
wallet,  Sabah?" 

The  wallet  they  now  unfastened  and  opened. 
It  proved  to  contain  plenty  of  bread  and  figs 
and  dates ;  also  some  cakes  of  chocolate,  which 
these  Moroccan  rekkahs  or  couriers  use  as 
a  condensed  and  portable  food.  "So  he  did 
not  die  from  hunger,"  was  Lank's  comment. 
"Probably  Sabah  is  right;  thirst  was  the 
cause." 

Sabah  now  took  out  of  the  wallet  a  little 
roll  of  cloth,  and,  opening  it,  he  disclosed  a 
strip  of  parchment ;  and  both  boys  started  with 
surprise  and  renewed  interest  as  the  Jewish  lad 
pointed  to  a  seal  or  stamp,  in  red  ink,  on  this 
strip  of  parchment.  It  was  a  black  circle  inside 
of  a  red  square.  :<  It  is  the  seal  of  the 

205 


THE    SULTAN'S    RIVAL 

Khedive,"  he  declared.  "  I  know  it.  The  Sul 
tan's  seal,  it  is  red  square  with  a  crescent  inside 
it.  This  is  message  very  important." 

"  Is  that  so  ?  "  exclaimed  Bob,  and  then  gave 
a  long,  low  whistle.  '  Well,  we  are  interested 
to  hear  anything  about  the  Khedive,  are  n't 
we,  Lank?  "  and  he  gave  his  friend  a  tiny  bit 
of  a  nudge  in  the  side. 


206 


CHAPTER   XVII 

A   DESERT  SCOURGE 

The  Moroccan  rekkahs,  or  couriers,  are  a 
hardy  and  dauntless  race.  With  only  a  waist- 
cloth  for  clothing,  and  with  a  staff,  a  leather 
wallet  and  a  small  leather  water-bottle,  they 
traverse  the  country  in  all  directions,  braving 
all  dangers,  imperiled  by  hunger  and  thirst, 
and  bearing  messages  of  great  importance. 
Their  pay  is  slight,  —  only  an  amount  equal  to 
five  or  ten  cents  a  day,  —  and  they  wear  them 
selves  out  at  an  early  age. 

This  rekkaJi  or  courier  of  the  Khedive  bore 
no  water-bottle,  probably  having  cast  it  aside 
when  it  was  empty.  The  poor  fellow  perhaps 
had  dragged  himself  many  miles,  but  could  not 
reach  any  water,  and  had  finally  perished. 

The  little  strip  of  parchment  with  its  red 
square  and  black  circle  inside  it  now  lay  un- 

207 


THE    SULTAN'S    RIVAL 

rolled  in  Sabah's  hand.  It  was  written  in 
Arabic,  which  Sabah  could  read  and  speak 
easily.  He  read  it  over  to  himself,  then  read  it 
a  second  time. 

Bob  and  Lank  waited  impatiently.  "  Well, 
what  does  it  say?  "  at  length  Bob  interjected, 
when  Sabah  seemed  inclined  to  give  the  docu 
ment  a  third  reading  (as  Bob  remarked,  just 
as  if  it  were  a  bill  before  the  Massachusetts 
legislature)  ;  "  I  say,  Sabah,  give  it  out  to 
us." 

So  Sabah  read  it,  translating  it  as  best 
he  could. 

From  Sidi  Mohammed  Amara,  Sheikh  of  the 
Souss,  by  grace  of  his  Sultan,  to  the  Ineffable,  the 
Khedive:  The  land  rejoices  under  his  protection. 
Sun,  moon,  and  stars  are  united  for  its  prosperity. 
The  Sultan,  the  All  Glorious,  spreads  his  mantle  of 
guardianship  over  all  the  faithful  ones.  The  sheep 
and  goats  have  been  sent  to  you,  and  may  they  be 
graciously  received.  The  blessing  of  Allah  rest  upon 
you.  Be  watchful  to  aid  the  Sultan  against  his 
enemies  .... 

There  were  several  more  phrases  of  this 
rambling  sort,  highly  sonorous  and  richly  col- 

208 


A    DESERT    SCOURGE 

ored,    but   not   conveying   much    information. 
Then,   at   the  end,   Sabah   read  these  words: 

The  rekkah's  staff,  being  planted,  has  rooted  and 
borne  fruit;  may  its  successor  be  equally  fruitful. 

"  That  is  all,"  commented  Sabah,  turning  the 
letter  over  and  scanning  it  carefully. 

"  Hm-m !  "  mused  Bob,  and  Lank  knitted 
his  brows  in  vain. 

"  A  queer  message,  that,"  at  length  Bob  re 
marked.  '''  It  hardly  seems  worth  while  to  make 
this  poor  rekkah  risk  his  life,  —  and  now  lose  it, 
-  just  to  carry  that  high-falutin'  stuff  from  a 
Souss  Sheikh  to  that  traitorous  Khedive." 

"  It  beats  us,"  added  Lank.  "  I  don't  see 
much  sense  in  it.  But  we  must  not  waste  time. 
This  poor  chap's  body  must  be  buried.  Here, 
Bob,  I  wish  you  would  follow  back  on  his  track, 
a  half  a  mile  or  so,  —  we  can  have  you  in  sight  as 
far  as  that,  —  and  see  if  you  find  any  clue  which 
will  explain  matters." 

'  Thanks,  Lank !  "  replied  Bob,  understand 
ing  at  once  that  his  generous  friend  wished  to 

209 


THE    SULTAN'S    RIVAL 

save  him  the  unpleasant  sensations  aroused  by 
disposing  of  the  lifeless  body.  "  Lank,  old 
man,  there  's  nothing  mean  about  you.  I  '11  have 
a  look  at  the  trail,"  and  he  started  away,  easily 
following  the  terrible  and  tragic  track  which  the 
injured  rekkah  had  made  in  the  sand. 

On  he  went,  nearly  a  mile;  and  there  he 
found  the  man's  empty  water-bottle.  Still  on 
he  followed  the  trail,  and  he  found  where  the 
rekkah  had  probably  broken  his  leg;  it  was 
at  a  wady  or  dry  water-course,  where  the  edge 
had  recently  caved  in;  the  soil  was  freshly 
upturned.  "  I  see,  I  see,"  was  Bob's  soliloquy, 
as  he  paused  there,  sadly,  for  a  moment.  '''  He 
accidentally  broke  off  the  edge  of  the  bank;  he 
was  probably  very  thirsty,  and  was  in  haste, 
and  he  fell  with  it ;  and  one  of  those  rocks  fell  on 
his  leg.  So  that  was  death  to  him ;  death  a  little 
delayed,"  and  the  kind-hearted  American  lad 
turned  sadly  and  retraced  his  steps  to  where 
Lank  and  the  Jewish  youth  were  awaiting  him. 

There  was  no  trace  of  the  unfortunate  rek 
kah  to  be  seen,  except  that  Sabah  bore  his  wal- 

210 


A   DESERT    SCOURGE 

let  and  his  staff.  "  Thanks  again  to  you,"  said 
Bob,  laying  his  hand  on  Lank's  shoulder  a  mo 
ment,  where  Master  Trump  made  a  great 
show  of  attacking  it,  but  not  with  much  alarm 
to  Bob,  who  was  now  on  warmest  terms  of 
friendship  with  the  wise,  weird  bird. 

At  once  they  resumed  their  journey,  Bob 
briefly  explaining  as  they  proceeded.  The  hours 
wore  away,  and  the  little  party  gradually  passed, 
in  thought,  from  the  woes  of  the  unhappy  rek- 
kaJi  —  now  beyond  all  pain  and  sorrow  —  to 
their  own  needs  and  dangers.  They  had  left 
the  foothills  of  the  lower  Atlas  range  far  on 
their  right  and  now  behind  them;  the  surface 
over  which  they  were  passing  had  lost  something 
of  its  restless,  waving,  desert  appearance,  and 
was  firmer,  with  ridges  of  rock  protruding  their 
backs  here  and  there,  and  with  patches  of  fairly 
arable  soil,  where  hardy  shrubs  and  rather 
juiceless  grasses  found  a  foothold. 

That  night  they  camped  under  the  lee  of  a 
large  ledge,  which  served  to  shelter  them  some 
what  from  a  chilly  wind  which  swept  down  to 

211 


THE    SULTAN'S    RIVAL 

the  sea,  after  midnight,  from  the  loftier  Atlas 
ranges. 

The  next  morning  saw  them  starting  early; 
and  during  the  forenoon  several  human  figures 
and  a  few  camels  were  seen,  far  away,  singly  or 
in  twos,  but  our  friends  were  not  molested. 
'  We  are  getting  up  to  within  a  twenty  miles 
of  Marrakesh  "  said  Sabah;  and  the  good  fel 
low's  face  showed  that  he  was  now  much  more 
hopeful.  But  they  were  still  in  the  midst  of 
perils  of  various  kinds,  as  was  attested  when 
they  paused  at  noon,  near  some  arar  trees,  to 
rest. 

They  had  settled  down  and  quenched  their 
thirst,  and  began  nibbling  at  the  fragments 
taken  from  the  rekkah's  wallet.  Trump  was 
prancing  about,  picking  up  a  few  tidbits  here 
and  there,  and  occasionally  coming  back  to  his 
friends,  to  pick  a  little  at  Lank's  scanty  portion 
of  food. 

The  three  lads  were  talking  about  the  obscure 
message  borne  by  the  rekkah.  Each  had  been 
pondering  upon  it,  by  himself.  :<  I  can't  think 

212 


A   DESERT    SCOURGE 

why  that  poor  fellow  was  sent  on  so  dangerous 
a  journey,"  remarked  Bob.  '  That  message  to 
the  Khedive  amounted  to  so  little.  Perhaps  the 
message  which  he  took  from  the  Khedive  to 
that  Sheikh  Amara  may  have  been  more  im 
portant  ;  it  might  .  .  .  ' 

At  this  point  in  his  soliloquy  the  American  lad 
suddenly  paused,  and  Lankester  Diggles  looked 
at  him  in  wonder,  for  Bob's  face  showed  every 
possible  mark  of  fear  and  horror;  he  seemed 
to  be  staring  in  terror  at  some  object  back  of 
Lank  whom  he  sat  facing.  At  the  next  mo 
ment,  Sabah,  who  was  seated  ten  feet  away, 
near  the  donkey,  began  to  stare  likewise,  and 
mutter  unintelligible  words  in  Arabic,  and  then 
began  to  creep  backwards  away  from  his  two 
companions. 

Lank  was  mystified,  and  addressed  some  in 
quiry  to  Bob,  then  turned  his  own  face  and  gaze 
backward,  in  the  direction  in  which  Bob  and 
Sabah  seemed  to  be  staring,  in  that  horror- 
stricken  manner. 

One  glance  over  his  own  shoulder,  and  his 
213 


THE    SULTAN'S    RIVAL 

very  blood  seemed  to  freeze  in  his  veins.  For  he 
found  himself  facing  —  and  not  over  five  feet 
separated  them  —  a  huge  snake,  raised  as  for 
striking,  and  with  red,  forked  tongue  nickering 
out  and  in  between  his  thin,  cruel  lips,  like  a 
tiny  flame. 

"  Buskah!  Buskah!  "  gasped  Sabah,  and  cov 
ered  his  eyes  with  his  hands  as  if  to  shut  out  a 
dreadful  sight. 

It  was  the  hooded  viper,  the  Buskah,  of  the 
desert,  which  now  threatened  the  British  lad 
with  a  horrible  death.  The  venomous  reptile 
was  nearly  black  in  color,  and  fully  seven  feet 
long,  and,  in  his  largest  part,  four  inches 
through.  He  was  in  coil,  and  his  head  was 
raised  above  the  coil  about  three  feet.  It  was 
his  head  which  presented  the  most  fearsome  as 
pect  ;  for  this  deadly  reptile,  when  angered  and 
about  to  strike,  swells  its  neck  and  head  to  quite 
twice  their  natural  size;  and  this  distortion 
gives  it,  in  appearance,  what  it  has  in  reality,  a 
quality  of  demonic  energy  and  fury. 

Into  the  eyes  of  this  serpent  Lankester 
214 


Sheikh  Abdul  stepped  outside  the  line  of  camels,  and 
advanced  slowly  toward  him 

See  page  126 


A    DESERT    SCOURGE 

Diggles  found  himself  gazing ;  his  sitting  po 
sition  brought  his  own  face  and  eyes  just  level 
with  the  reptile's.  The  sturdy  British  lad  had 
good  nerves,  but  he  gasped  in  silent  horror,  as 
he  saw  what  threatened  him.  He  had  heard  of 
this  species  of  reptile;  Sabah  had  related  one 
or  two  stories  about  it,  as  the  three  journeyed 
along;  and  now  the  Jewish  lad's  evident  terror 
confirmed  what  he  had  said  about  the  deadly 
nature  of  the  creature. 

It  was  like  a  tableau ;  for  one  or  two  seconds 
the  three  lads  scarcely  moved;  Lankester,  in 
deed,  moved  not  a  fraction  of  an  inch ;  he  knew 
that  only  some  slightest  act  on  his  part  was 
needed  to  act  like  a  hair-trigger  on  the  situa 
tion;  by  the  mere  turn  of  a  hair  that  black 
demon  with  his  swollen  head  and  baleful  eyes 
would  be  led  to  launch  himself  like  a  flash  across 
the  slight  space,  and  fasten  his  deadly  fangs  on 
head  or  neck  of  his  victim,  and  then  .  .  . 

In  that  instant  of  impending,  terrifying  peril 
Bob  Laurie  learned  how  much  he  cared  for 
uncouth,  faithful  Lank;  he  would  have  thrown 

215 


THE    SULTAN'S    RIVAL 

himself  into  the  circle  of  danger  willingly,  but 
any  movement,  even  by  him,  might  simply  has 
ten  the  thrust  of  that  horrid,  shapeless,  swaying 
head. 

But  a  rescuer  was  at  hand;  nay,  shall  T  not 
say  above  and  around  them  ?  They  heard  a  rustle 
of  wings,  and  Bob  knew  what  that  meant ;  then 
a  dark  gray  mass  of  feathers  and  beak  and 
claws  hurled  itself  across  Bob's  field  of  vision, 
and,  in  one  instant  more,  claws  of  steel  were 
fastened  in  the  inflated  neck  of  the  deadly 
buskah,  and  a  black  beak  which  was  like  iron 
struck  again  and  again  at  the  top  of  that  mon 
strous  head. 

Probably  Trump  had  never  learned,  with  all 
his  Oxford  education,  the  best  method  of  at 
tacking  a  large,  venomous  serpent,  but  he  may 
have  inherited  some  instincts  from  ancestors 
who  struggled  for  existence  in  the  dense  forests 
of  the  Congo,  and  he  may  have  evolved  some 
of  the  methods  in  his  own  clever  mind.  At  any 
rate  he  had  done  the  one  thing  which  was  safest 
and  surest.  Seeing  his  master  in  peril,  he  had 

216 


A    DESERT    SCOURGE 

struck  at  the  danger-point,  but  had  struck  with 
wisdom. 

"  O  Trump !  "  burst  out  Bob,  leaping  to  his 
feet,  as  the  parrot  bowled  over  the  serpent 
by  his  fierce  attack.  "  O  Trump !  You  are  a 
trump !  " 

The  two  combatants  rolled  in  the  sand,  stir 
ring  it  into  a  miniature  sand-storm.  The  buskah 
was  thrown  out  of  coil,  and  now  lashed  about, 
vainly  trying  to  bite  his  foe,  and  vainly  trying 
to  throw  coils  about  him.  But  Trump  held  on, 
now  being  above  and  now  under  the  horrid 
head,  but  always  holding  fast  with  those  keen, 
steel  claws,  and  most  industriously  digging 
away  with  that  iron  beak. 

The  lads  were  now  all  on  their  feet;  and 
Lank  stood  with  the  camel-stick  upraised,  and 
Bob  stood  with  the  rekkah's  long  staff  likewise 
upraised.  Each  was  waiting  for  an  opening; 
and  it  came  a  moment  later,  as  the  buskah,  for 
an  instant,  straightened  out  his  seven  feet  of 
horrid  body.  Whack!  Whack!  came  the 
blows  from  the  two  clubs.  And  yet  again  they 

217 


THE    SULTAN'S    RIVAL 

crashed  down,  and  the  deadly  reptile  lay  help 
less;  and  Trump,  with  a  shrill  and  unusual 
cry,  —  showing  how  wildly  excited  he  had  been, 
—  wheeled  upward  into  the  air,  circled  about, 
then  cracked  whips  at  a  tremendous  rate. 


218 


CHAPTER   XVIII 

ENTERING   THE    LION'S   DEN 

The  danger  was  over.  Death  had  been 
warded  off.  The  venomous  buskah,  the  hooded 
viper,  "  Scourge  of  the  desert,"  had  been  re 
duced  to  a  mass  of  shapeless,  quivering  flesh. 
And  the  three  lads  now  breathed  freely,  and 
were  glad  that  so  awful  a  fate  had  been  averted. 

"  Well,  Bob,  you  must  have  the  strength  of 
a  giant,"  laughed  Lankester.  '  You  have  actu 
ally  smashed  that  heavy  staff." 

Bob  did  not  reply.  He  was  engaged  in  ex 
amining  the  rekkatis  staff.  "  By  all  the  saints," 
he  exclaimed,  "  the  thing  is  n't  solid,  like  your 
stick;  it's  hollow  at  this  end.  What!  Why 
Lank,  it  was  made  hollow  on  purpose,  and  here 
is  a  scrap  of  paper,  hidden  away  inside." 

Needless  to  say,  all  three  young  fellows  were 
alert  with  curiosity.  Bob  drew  out  the  scrap  of 

219 


THE    SULTAN'S    RIVAL 

paper,  and  unrolled  it.  "  It  is  the  Khedive's!  " 
exclaimed  Sabah.  "  See  the  seal  with  its  black 
circle  inside  a  red  square." 

"It  looks  like  it,"  confirmed  Bob.  "That 
Khedive  of  yours,  Lank,  —  your  '  friend  '  the 
Khedive,  —  sends  a  message  on  his  own  sealed 
paper,  ancl  also  carefully  sends  a  blank  paper 
for  an  answer,  so  it  seems.  But  here,  Sabah, 
what  does  it  say?  " 

Sabah  took  the  paper  and  read,  twice  over, 
its  brief  statements ;  then  he  translated  aloud : 

From  Sidi  Mohammed  Amara,  Sheikh  of  the 
Souss,  to  the  Ineffable,  the  Khedive,  the  rightful 
Sultan,  greeting!  Guns  recovered  from  the  wreck; 
no  powder  good;  but  five  hundred  armed  men  will 
wait  one  mile  outside  Bab-el- Aghmot  [the  southeast 
ern  gate],  on  the  night  of  the  Khamis  [fifth]  market- 
day. 

Bob  looked  at  Lank,  and  both  then  looked  in 
quiringly  at  Sabah;  they  both  felt  that  they 
must  rely  upon  him ;  and  well  they  might ;  for, 
in  every  respect,  Sabah  proved  himself  a  true 
and  grateful  friend.  "  When  will  that  come?  " 
asked  Bob.  "That  market-day?" 

220 


ENTERING   THE   LION'S    DEN 

"  I  am  not  sure,"  was  Sabah's  reply,  as  he 
pondered.  "I  have  not  keep  time;  much 
happened." 

"  Right  you  are,"  declared  Bob,  vigorously. 
"  A  great  deal  has  happened." 

'  Yes,  much  happened,"  went  on  the  young 
Jew.  '''  But  Khamis  not  yet,  I  think.  Rekkah 
not  dead  long  time;  see?  We  march  quickly. 
Khamis  market-day  come,  I  think,  in  week, 
perhaps,  or  half  week." 

"  That  seems  rather  likely,"  assented  Lank. 
"  Anyway,  Sabah,  we  must  get  along  to  Marra- 
kesh  [Morocco  City]  as  fast  as  we  can.  We 
can  tell  about  the  days  and  market-days  when 
we  arrive  there." 

"  Yes,  your  friend  the  Khedive  will  probably 
give  us  plenty  of  information,"  chuckled  Bob. 
"  I  wish  I  felt  surer  than  I  do,"  he  added  more 
seriously,  "  of  the  sort  of  reception  he  will  give 
us.  It  looks  as  though  things  were  near  an 
over-turn;  but  perhaps  it  will  be  an  under- 
turn,  with  —  well  —  the  Khedive  underneath." 

The  little  caravan  with  its  three  human 
221 


THE    SULTAN'S    RIVAL 

beings  and  a  camel,  a  donkey,  and  Trump  — 
who  was  in  a  class  by  himself  —  now  set  itself 
in  motion.  Sabah  knew  his  whereabouts  per 
fectly  well.  And,  in  an  hour  more,  as  our 
friends  topped  a  small  ridge,  which  lay  in  their 
path,  Sabah  paused  and  pointed  out  to  them 
the  white-walled  city  of  Morocco,  called  Marra- 
kesh  by  Moors  and  Arabs.  The  city,  as  they 
could  now  make  out,  was  flanked  on  one  side 
by  great  groves  of  date-palms,  and  the  slopes 
of  the  lower  Atlas  chain  came  down  almost  to 
the  gates.  The  most  obvious  feature  of  the 
scene,  as  they  advanced,  was  the  Koutoubia, 
the  Mosque  of  the  Book-Sellers,  with  its  rec 
tangular  tower  over  two  hundred  feet  high, 
surmounted  by  a  gilded  globe  which  flashed  in 
the  sunlight. 

Their  spirits  had  risen  rapidly,  as  they  came 
out  more  and  more  from  the  dismal,  deadly  soli 
tude  of  the  red  desert.  They  were  uncertain 
about  the  sort  of  reception  they  would  meet 
at  the  Khedive's  hands,  and  uneasy  about  the 
revolt  against  his  brother  the  Sultan,  but  at 

222 


ENTERING   THE   LION'S    DEN 

least  they  would  find  human  habitations,  with 
dwellers  therein,  and  the  terror  of  the  limitless 
desert  would  be  left  behind. 

The  character  of  the  soil  beneath  their  feet 
had  now  changed  greatly  and  became  more 
loam-like  in  texture.  One  or  two  villages, 
douars,  were  now  within  their  circle  of  vision, 
and  to  one  of  these  Sabah  betook  himself,  alone, 
carrying  a  solitary  silver  piece,  a  Spanish  coin, 
which  Bob  had  found  in  the  lining  of  his  coat. 
"  I  go,  self,"  explained  the  faithful  fellow,  "  and 
buy  —  things.  You  wait  here." 

It  turned  out  that  he  knew  the  Sheikh  of  this 
village,  and  he  was  able  to  bring  back  to  the 
two  boys  what  seemed  to  them  the  most  de 
licious  food  they  had  ever  eaten,  —  so  piquant  a 
sauce  is  hunger.  He  brought  some  milk  in  a 
leather  bottle,  some  pieces  of  boiled  mutton,  and 
some  boiled  wheat.  Not  a  luxurious  repast, 
when  judged  by  Boston  or  London  standards, 
but  luscious  indeed  to  the  nearly  famished  young 
fellows,  who  eagerly  and  tremblingly  seized 

and  devoured  it. 

223 


THE    SULTAN'S    RIVAL 

Then,  after  a  slight  rest,  on  they  plodded 
toward  the  city.  Soon  they  reached  the  river 
Neffys,  which  is  born  high  among  the  snows 
of  the  Atlas  peaks,  and  here  the  poor  donkey 
quenched  a  thirst  which  had  parched  his  insides 
for  days.  The  camel  also  could  replenish  his 
inner  cistern  —  that  wonderful  provision  of 
nature  for  a  dry,  desert  life. 

Bob's  spirits  were  returning,  and  he  cracked 
jokes  right  and  left,  in  which  respect  he  was 
rivaled  by  Trump,  who,  sometimes  on  one  and 
sometimes  on  another  of  the  bipeds  and  quad 
rupeds  of  the  company,  —  and  often  in  the  air, 
-  fairly  exhausted  all  his  resources,  linguistic 
and  histrionic,  always  interspersing  freely  the 
cracking  of  whips  which  he  had  learned  from 
the  stable-boys  at  the  Mitre  Inn,  at  Oxford. 

It  was  at  this  point  in  their  journey  that  the 
two  boys  saw,  for  the  first  time,  the  famous 
argan  trees  with  which  every  traveler  along 
the  west  coast  of  Morocco  is  familiar.  Lank 
was  the  first  to  notice  them.  "  See  there !  "  he 
cried  to  Bob.  "  Look  at  those  trees,  over  there. 

224 


ENTERING   THE    LION'S    DEN 

What  in  the  dickens  are  those  things  moving 
about  in  the  branches  ?  " 

AncI  Bob  looked,  and  could  see  some  sort 
of  creatures  up  among  the  branches.  "  What 
are  they,  Sabah?"  he  inquired.  '  You  are 
showing  off  this  benighted  region,  I  believe, 
to  us  visitors." 

"  Argan  trees  and  goats,"  replied  the  older 
lad,  readily.  '  We  go  nearer,  then  you  see." 
And  they  did  see,  more  clearly,  soon.  The 
argan  trees  —  from  which  the  argan  nut  is 
obtained,  and  hence  argan  oil,  used  lavishly  in 
all  Moroccan  cookery  —  were  sturdy  growths, 
looking  like  oak  trees,  and  with  lower  branches 
sweeping  the  ground.  The  goats,  sure-footed 
creatures,  readily  climb  upon  the  limbs  and 
make  their  way  quite  high  up  into  the  trees, 
eating  the  nuts,  and  afterward  nimbly  de 
scending  to  the  ground. 

The  sight  of  these  large,  four-footed 
creatures,  ten  and  twenty  feet  high,  among 
branches  and  foliage,  was  amusing  to  our 
two  friends,  and  was  puzzling  to  Trump,  who 

225 


THE    SULTAN'S    RIVAL 

hovered  about  the  tree,  making  remarks  of  a 
distrustful  character. 

Although  Bob  and  Lankester  felt  distinctly 
hopeful,  now,  as  to  their  ultimate  deliverance 
from  their  perils,  and  their  faces  showed  this 
altered  state  of  mind,  Sabah,  on  the  contrary, 
seemed  depressed;  and  Bob  now  asked  him 
about  this.  "  I  say,  Sabah,  what 's  on  your 
mind?  Are  you  sorry  to  get  away  from  that 
'  Sea  of  Red  Sand  '  [as  the  Moors  call  it]  ?  " 

Sabah  shook  his  head,  and  smiled.  "  Ah, 
no,"  was  his  reply;  "I  rejoice,  but  I  dread. 
Listen!" 

And  the  two  lads  waited,  with  some  wonder, 
to  hear  what  their  friend  had  to  offer. 

"  I  go  not  with  you  into  Marrakesh.  Not 
safe  for  me.  Two  year  past  Moor  nearly  kill 
me  there.  Say  will  kill  if  sees  me.  He  cheat 
me,  and  threaten  to  stab,  and  I  complain  to 
Consul.  Then  Moor  try  kill  me.  If  I  go  in, 
he  try  kill  again." 

Bob  Laurie  was  accustomed  to  believe  that 
it  took  two  to  make  a  quarrel,  and  that  there 

226 


ENTERING   THE    LION'S    DEN 

was  usually  blame  on  both  sides  of  any  con 
troversy  or  fight.  So  he  asked :  "  But  did  n't 
you  try  to  cheat  him,  Sabah,  first  ?  " 

At  this  pointed  question  Sabah  hesitated. 
Then  he  replied,  doggedly:  "In  Morocco  you 
must  cheat  or  —  die,  starve.  Moor  cruel,  and 
kill  or  put  in  prison.  Jew  cheat  Moor,  but  not 
cheat  Jew  or  friend." 

"  There  you  have  it,  Lank,"  said  Bob.  "  A 
strange  standard  of  morals.  I  'm  glad  I  don't 
have  to  decide  such  fine  questions.  These 
Moors,  though,  as  I  saw  in  Tangier,  are  dread 
fully  harsh  and  cruel  to  all  Jews ;  yet  the  Jews, 
by  their  shrewdness,  keep  ahead  of  the  game, 
and  gather  wealth.  But  we  must  listen  further 
to  Sabah." 

"  I  go  not  into  the  city,"  continued  the  young 
Jew ;  "  but  I  send  message  to  my  friend  Abra 
ham  Chergis,  in  the  city.  A  Jew  he  is ;  he  my 
friend,  you  my  friends,  so  he  your  friend." 

'  That 's  easy  arithmetic,"  remarked  Bob. 
"  It  sounds  like  the  rule  '  Things  equal  to  the 
same  thing  are  equal  to  each  other.' 

227 


THE    SULTAN'S    RIVAL 

Then  Lankester  interposed  gravely,  "  But 
who  will  take  your  message?  " 

"  A  man  there,"  responded  Sabah,  swinging 
his  hand  over  toward  a  rather  large  village,  a 
mile  or  two  away.  "  I  know  men  there.  Have 
trade  with  them.  Very  good.  Now  you  listen. 
I  go  there  and  see  man  and  give  message;  I 
buy  also  Moorish  clothes  for  you;  better  go 
into  the  city  like  Moors;  city  partly  kind, 
friendly,  partly  cruel  to  Nasrani  [Christians]. 
You  put  on  clothing  of  Moghreb  al  Acksa 
[Morocco]  and  I  go  to  gate  with  you." 

"  Yes,  that  sounds  well,"  rejoined  Bob,  feel 
ing  carefully  in  his  pockets  and  linings.  :'  But 
where  's  the  money  to  pay  for  these  things. 
Got  some  concealed  in  your  clothing,  Sabah  ?  ' 

This  sally  was  a  trifle  humorous,  as  poor 
Sabah  had  on  only  a  much-torn  jellebeeah;  but 
he  knew  what  he  was  talking  about,  for  he 
turned  and  pointed  toward  the  camel  and  the 
donkey.  "  There  your  money,"  said  he,  and 
paused. 

"  O,  I  see,"  was  Bob's  surprised  comment. 
228 


ENTERING    THE    LION'S    DEN 

"  I  think  he  's  about  right,  Lank.  I  believe 
that  the  camel  belongs  to  us.  Sheikh  Abdul  is 
not  likely  to  call  for  it,  and  even  if  he  did,  we 
could  offset  his  claim  with  a  pretty  good  one 
of  our  own.  But,  I  say,  Sabah,  if  the  camel 
is  ours,  then  the  donkey  is  yours ;  how  's  that  ?  " 

"  If  you  say  so,"  replied  Sabah.  '  Truly  the 
donkey  and  Sabah  both  belong  to  you  two ;  you 
saved  them,  and  —  " 

"  O,  pshaw !  "  broke  in  Bob,  impulsively. 
'  You  have  saved  us  just  as  much  as  we  saved 
you.  Anyhow,  the  donkey  is  yours ;  is  n't  he, 
Lank?" 

"  He  certainly  is,"  affirmed  Lank,  heartily. 
"  But  I  say,  let 's  send  Sabah  straight  away  on 
the  errand  he  describes.  We  must  get  to 
the  city  as  soon  as  possible." 

So,  all  being  agreed,  Sabah  hastened  away 
with  the  camel,  and  Bob  felt  a  touch  of  regret 
at  seeing  the  sturdy  old  quadruped  marching 
stolidly  away  from  them  just  as  he  had  marched 
with  them  through  the  long,  tedious  days  and 

nights. 

229 


THE    SULTAN'S    RIVAL 

The  donkey  Sabah  left  with  them,  having 
planned  to  use  the  patient  little  beast  in  his  later 
journeying.  And  the  two  lads,  with  Trump, 
and  the  donkey,  settled  down  under  the  shade 
of  a  clump  of  luxuriant  oleanders  and  rested, 
which  was  the  best  thing  they  could  have 
done  under  the  circumstances.  That  is  to  say 
all  except  Trump,  who  never  seemed  to  need 
rest,  mentally  or  physically. 

Sabah  was  gone  nearly  five  hours.  Trades 
and  all  kinds  of  negotiations  proceed  very 
slowly  in  Morocco,  as  Bob  knew;  and  he 
could  fancy  the  long  exchange  of  offers  and 
refusals  and  "  beating  down  "  in  price,  which 
was  going  on  between  the  shrewd,  young  Jew 
ish  lad  and  would-be  purchasers. 

At  last  he  returned,  and  he  had  been  suc 
cessful.  He  had  sold  the  camel  at  a  good 
price,  and  had  brought  back  two  full  suits  of 
Moorish  garments,  and  a  sum  of  money,  and 
a  knife.  "  Each  of  you  have  knife,  now,"  he 
remarked,  coolly.  "  Good  to  have  knife,  in 

Marrakesh." 

230 


ENTERING    THE    LION'S    DEN 

As  he  was  handing  over  the  money,  about 
twenty  dollars,  left  from  the  sale  of  the  camel 
after  the  amounts  for  the  clothing  had  been 
subtracted,  Bob  suddenly  stopped,  and  ex 
claimed  :  "  But,  I  say,  Sabah,  why  in  the 
world  did  n't  you  buy  a  good  new  suit  for 
yourself?  " 

"  Money  not  mine,"  was  the  lad's  concise 
reply.  "How  could?" 

Bob  burst  into  a  laugh,  and  laid  his  hand 
on  Sabah's  shoulder.  "  Well  now,  I  say,  if 
that 's  all,  we  can  settle  that.  Here !  Take 
five  of  these  Spanish  dollars  and  stock  yourself 
up!  Really,  your  appearance  [here  the  high- 
spirited  young  American  boy  put  on  an  expres 
sion  of  much  solemnity  and  protest]  is  not 
quite  respectable." 

The  three  laughed,  and  Lank  said  that  Bob 
would  be  wishing  to  get  the  donkey  and  even 
Trump  into  costumes,  if  he  kept  on.  Then 
the  new  clothing  was  put  on,  and  Lank  and 
Bob  paraded  up  and  down,  laughing  at  each 
other,  and  trying  the  Arabic  salutations, 

231 


THE    SULTAN'S    RIVAL 

Salaam  Aleikoum  and  Bismillah,  with  gruff 
tones  and  as  much  of  the  harsh,  Arabic,  gut- 
teral  sounds  as  they  could  command. 

One  piece  of  advice  Sabah  gave  to  them. 
'  You  go  as  Moors,  partly,"  he  said,  "  and 
partly  perhaps  not.  Anyhow,  talk  little;  give 
salutations,  then  mumble,  mumble,  some  so," 
and  the  clever  lad  emitted  a  series  of  mum 
bling  sounds,  as  an  illustration.  "  Your  faces 
and  hands  now  dark  enough.  You  go  like 
Moors  —  perhaps." 

"  All  right,"  cried  Bob,  now  a  bit  impatient. 
"  Off  we  go.  School  is  closed."  And  they  set 
out,  walking  more  rapidly  over  the  firmer 
ground,  and  approached  the  city.  People  of 
various  races  and  shades  of  color  were  in 
creasingly  numerous  around  them  now;  but 
the  boys  seemed  to  be  quite  secure  in  their 
disguise,  chiefly  because  they  avoided  any  near 
approach  to  all  whom  they  met. 

'''  I  have  been  wondering  a  bit,"  remarked 
Bob,  as  they  proceeded,  "  about  that  genuine 
message  of  the  rekkah's.  I  have  it  in  my 

232 


ENTERING   THE    LION'S    DEN 

pocket,  and  the  Khedive  is  probably  uneasy 
about  it.  He  can  keep  on  being  uneasy,  for  all 
I  care.  But  how  about  that  band  of  Arabs 
under  Sheikh  Mohammed  Amara?  I  suppose 
those  may  be  the  very  hills,  over  there  [point 
ing  to  a  range,  on  the  southeastern  side  of  the 
city],  behind  which  he  will  await  a  signal  from 
the  Khedive.  Well,  they  can  both  wait ;  much 
good  will  it  do  them." 

"  Not  wait  long/'  was  Sabah's  wise  com 
ment.  "  Sheikh  Mohammed  not  wait  long." 

"  What  else  will  he  do?  "  asked  Bob. 

"  He  turn  about,  and  *  eat  up '  villages,  one, 
two,  more,  and  carry  off  plunder  to  Souss 
land." 

"  Eat  up  ?  What  do  you  mean  ?  "  asked  Bob, 
curiously. 

"  Say  '  Eat  up  '  in  Morocco,"  explained  Sa- 
bah,  "when  kill  and  burn  all,  —  men,  women, 
houses;  carry  off  sheep  and  goats  and  camels." 

"  It  is  a  charming  country,"  was  Bob's  face 
tious  comment.  "  So  peaceful,  and  favorable 
for  a  long,  happy  life.  I  think  I  '11  come  here  and 

233 


THE    SULTAN'S    RIVAL 

become  a  citizen.  But  here  we  are,  nearing  the 
city.  I  suppose  that  gate  is  the  one  where  we 
ought  to  enter." 

'Yes,  over  there,"  Sabah  pointed  out; 
and  a  few  minutes  later  he  stopped  them 
and  took  his  leave  of  them,  with  a  warm  hand- 
grasp  to  each,  after  the  European  fashion,  with 
tears  in  his  eyes,  and  with  a  half-choking  bles 
sing  invoked  upon  them,  in  Hebrew. 

Whereupon  Lank  and  Bob  —  with  Trump 
partly  concealed  in  a  fold  of  his  master's  haik, 
the  flowing,  sheet-like,  outer  Moorish  garment 
-  walked  on,  very  slowly,  as  Moors  and  Arabs 
always  move,  entered  the  lofty  arched  gate 
way,  and  found  themselves  amid  new  and  not 
very  promising  surroundings.  It  was  near  the 
time  of  sunset,  and  the  great,  iron-bound  gate 
was  closed  by  a  black-skinned  porter  just  after 
they  entered.  "  I  don't  half  like  this,"  remarked 
Bob,  glancing  about  him  at  the  staring  and 
often  scowling  faces.  "  It  seems  too  much  like 
walking  straight  into  the  lion's  den." 


234 


CHAPTER   XIX 

THE    WILES    OF    THE    KHEDIVE 

Well  might  our  young  friends,  Bob  Laurie 
and  Lankester  Diggles,  feel  as  if,  with  the  clos 
ing  of  that  great  gate,  they  were  shut  in,  some 
how,  from  the  free  open  country,  and  were 
within  prison  walls.  The  city  wall  of  Marra- 
kesh  is  twenty-three  feet  high  and  over  four 
feet  thick.  Like  the  houses  the  walls  are  built 
of  tabbia,  which  means  "  mud,"  in  Arabic, 
and  is  a  mixture,  in  equal  parts,  of  lime,  clay, 
and  pebbles,  rammed  into  wooden  molds,  and 
dried,  the  molds  then  being  raised  higher,  for 
a  new  deposit  of  the  tabbia. 

The  boys  walked  on  through  the  streets,  mov 
ing  slowly,  but  really  with  great  nervousness 
and  anxiety.  Sabah  had  told  them  how  to 
reach  the  mellah,  or  Jewish  quarter  of  the 
city,  where  his  friend  Abraham  Chergis 

235 


THE    SULTAN'S    RIVAL 

lived.  But,  in  fact,  they  wished  most  to  find 
some  house  or  public  building  which  was  the 
office  or  dwelling  of  a  consul;  whether  Ameri 
can  or  British,  or  even  French  or  German  mat 
tered  little. 

"  It  seems  to  me  that  these  streets  are  about 
the  filthiest  places  I  have  ever  seen,"  remarked 
Bob,  as  he  jumped  over  a  pool  of  scum-covered 
water,  where  floated  some  carrot  tops  and  a 
dead  rat.  He  nearly  lost  off  his  new  slippers, 
as  he  executed  this  jump,  for  he  had  not  be 
come  used  to  them. 

At  an  open  place,  just  beyond,  where  three 
narrow  streets  met,  a  wild  looking  Arab  was 
playing  a  shrill  flute,  and  naked  children  were 
dancing  and  chanting.  Sabah  had  warned  them 
to  avoid  crowds,  and  wisely  so,  as  all  travelers 
in  barbaric  Morocco  well  understand.  So 
they  turned  into  one  of  these  narrow  streets 
and  went  on. 

As  the  noise  of  the  flute-playing  and  singing 
became  fainter  behind  them  they  noticed  singu 
lar  sounds  up  in  the  air,  like  the  striking  of  two 

236 


THE    WILES    OF    THE    KHEDIVE 

pieces  of  wood  together ;  and  in  a  few  moments 
they  made  out  the  cause  of  these  sounds.  They 
saw  that  they  came  from  the  storks,  which  are 
very  numerous  in  Marrakesh ;  and  they  sit  upon 
the  housetops  and  seem  to  converse  with  one 
another  by  clapping  their  two  large,  long  mandi 
bles  together.  These  storks  act  as  scavengers, 
in  fact,  and  are  held  as  sacred  by  the  Moors. 

The  progress  of  our  young  friends  down  this 
street,  or  lane,  was  now  barred  by  a  gate.  Many 
of  the  narrow  streets  are  closed,  at  the  ends,  at 
nightfall,  by  gates,  so  that  no  general  rioting 
may  take  place  throughout  the  whole  of  this  tur 
bulent  city.  "No  further  in  this  direction!" 
remarked  Lank,  cheerfully,  as  always.  "  Well, 
we  will  try  another."  So  back  they  went,  keep 
ing  in  the  middle  of  the  street,  lest  some  stealthy 
blow  should  be  dealt  them  from  a  doorway. 
They  had  no  time  to  use  in  looking  into  the  tiny 
shops  which  lined  some  of  the  streets.  They 
must  find  some  Consul  or  European  merchant, 
before  the  full  darkness  of  night  came  down 
upon  them. 

237 


THE    SULTAN'S    RIVAL 

Presently  Bob  suggested,  "  I  think  I  will  ask 
that  tall,  well-dressed  Moor  just  over  there. 
It 's  our  only  way.  What  was  that  word,  Lank, 
that  Sabah  told  us  ?  The  word  —  O,  '  Basha- 
dor,'  that 's  it.  It 's  short  for  '  Embassador,' 
he  said,  and  has  got  itself  fixed  in  Moorish  par 
lance  for  any  European  official." 

Then  he  walked  up  to  the  dignified,  well- 
garbed  Moor,  and  gave  the  Salaam  Aleikoum, 
and  then  asked  "  Bashador  —  fane  [where]  ?  " 

The  man  addressed  smiled  under  his  low- 
hanging  turban,  and  made  some  unintelligible 
reply,  then  beckoned  them  to  follow.  They 
complied,  and  he  led  them  through  street  after 
street;  and  now  the  darkness  had  come,  and 
everything  took  on  a  strange  and  threatening 
aspect;  they  felt  their  utter  helplessness,  and 
almost  regretted  that  they  had  come  in  off  the 
wide,  quiet  ranges  of  the  red  desert. 

At  this  point  Trump  pushed  his  head  out 
from  beneath  the  folds  of  Lank's  haik  and  made 
a  remark,  in  English,  in  his  deepest  and  most 
solemn  tones;  whereupon  their  guide  seemed 

238 


THE   WILES    OF    THE    KHEDIVE 

startled,  looked  around,  stared  about  him,  then 
pushed  ahead  more  rapidly  than  before. 

At  last  the  man  entered  an  especially  narrow 
and  filthy  lane,  and  paused  before  a  plain  wall 
of  tabbia,  in  which  was  one  small  door.  It  was 
the  wall  of  a  house,  without  windows  toward 
the  street,  but  opening  on  a  hollow  square  in 
the  middle  called  a  patio,  from  the  Spanish 
language. 

"  Tala  hennah !  "  said  their  guide,  opening 
the  door  and  entering  a  long,  dark  passage 
way  ;  and  there  was  nothing  else  to  do  but  fol 
low  him. 

Up  some  stone  steps  they  stumbled,  and  then 
on  into  a  long,  square  room  with  a  grated 
square  opening  above,  in  the  ceiling,  and  with 
small  rooms  opening  out  from  it.  The  ceiling 
and  walls  were  grayish  in  color,  with  ara 
besques  in  green  and  gold;  several  doorways 
led  from  this  central  room,  and  one  of  them 
had,  in  addition  to  the  door,  a  portiere  of  car 
peting,  beautifully  designed,  extending  nearly 
but  not  quite  to  the  top  of  the  doorway.  There 

239 


THE    SULTAN'S    RIVAL 

were  glazed  tiles  let  into  the  floor,  a  table  or 
two,  a  desk,  and  some  divans  or  couches 
against  the  walls,  and  a  few  rugs  on  the  stone 
floor. 

No  sooner  had  our  young  friends  set  foot 
in  the  room  than  their  turbaned  guide  backed 
out  through  the  door  where  they  had  entered, 
and  the  boys  heard  the  ominous  sounds  of  bolts 
being  shot  across  that  door.  "  By  St.  George 
and  the  dragon,"  exclaimed  Bob,  under  his 
breath ;  "  I  believe  we  've  been  totally  and  tee- 
totally  fooled.  Did  you  hear  those  bolts,  Lank  ? 
We  're  captives  again,  only  in  a  different  way." 

Lank  took  a  good  look  around  him,  by  the 
light  of  two  oil  lamps  which  hung  above. 
"  This  does  n't  look  like  the  house  of  a  consul, 
—  of  any  European  consul." 

At  one  corner  of  the  room  a  narrow  and  al 
most  vertical  staircase  rose  up  to  a  sort  of  sky 
light  in  the  roof;  and  Bob  at  once  started  to 
investigate:  Lank  followed,  and  they  issued 
upon  the  roof  and  could  look  over  the  city  and 
down  into  a  garden  behind  the  house.  But 

240 


THE    WILES    OF    THE    KHEDIVE 

what  struck  Bob  was  that  this  house  was  one 
of  a  group,  and  all  were  shut  off  from  other 
houses,  either  by  a  high  wall,  or  by  the  side- 
walls  of  the  houses  themselves.  "  I  tell  you 
what,"  exclaimed  Bob,  "  we  are  in  the  Kasbah 
[castle  or  citadel]  of  either  the  Khedive  or  the 
Sultan.  Lank,  we  're  caught,  and  no  mistake. 
I  never  —  " 

A  noise  in  the  room  below  interrupted  him, 
and  they  both  went  back  down  the  staircase 
and  found  somebody  awaiting  them. 

It  was  a  man,  garbed  like  a  Moor,  dark 
skinned,  but  speaking  English  readily.  He 
rubbed  his  hands  together  and  bowed,  in  an 
obsequious  way,  and  said,  "  I  am  Alvo,  Sefior 
Alvo,  at  your  service.  In  the  Khedive's  absence 
I  welcome  you.  Will  you  have  food?  Yes,  I 
know  you  will."  And,  without  waiting  for  a 
reply,  he  vanished  through  one  of  the  doors. 

Instantly  Bob  sprang  to  the  door  and  tried 
it;  it  was  fast;  not  an  inch  could  he  open  it. 
"  I  thought  I  heard  a  spring-lock  snap,"  said 
Lank,  coolly.  "  Well,  we  're  here,  for  the  pres- 

241 


THE    SULTAN'S    RIVAL 

ent."  Then  he  took  Trump  out  from  under 
his  haik  and,  opening  a  rather  deep  drawer  in 
one  of  the  tables,  put  the  bird  in,  telling  him  to 
go  to  sleep. 

"  I  don't  half  like  that  Alvo,  that  Spanish 
chap — half  Spanish  and  half  Moor,  or  Arab, 
probably  —  "  said  Bob.  "  He  is  too  glib  and 
too  humble.  When  a  man  gives  his  hands  so 
much  dry-washing  —  unless  he  's  out  on  the 
desert  —  I  suspect  him  of  fraud." 

After  a  moment  or  two  of  wandering  about 
the  spacious  apartment  Bob  continued :  "  It 
strikes  me  that  we  were  expected  here;  that  is 
to  say,  —  everything  seems  so  ready  for  us  that 
I  think  the  Khedive  or  some  minion  of  his 
spotted  us  as  soon  as  we  entered  the  city,  and 
this  little  plot  was  fixed  up.  Think  so,  Lank?  " 

"  It  looks  like  it.  But  sh  -  -  !  This  chap,  and 
perhaps  others,  can  understand  English;  we 
must  be  more  careful  than  when  among  Souss 
Arabs." 

The  door  opened,  and  Alvo  —  as  he  called 
himself  —  entered,  followed  by  two  black  ser- 

242 


THE    WILES    OF   THE    KHEDIVE 

vants,  or  slaves,  —  probably  the  latter,  —  who 
bore  wicker  stands,  and  trays  containing  food 
and  drink.  There  was  the  ever-present  tea, 
still  simmering  over  a  little  charcoal  fire;  and 
then  some  "  forced-meat,"  —  a  kind  of  minced 
fowl's  flesh  which  had  been  molded  around 
some  slender  sticks  and  baked.  Also  some  pi 
geons,  fairly  floating  in  argan  oil,  and  a  few 
sweet  potatoes. 

The  boys  had  not  fully  annihilated  their  pro 
longed  desert  fast;  and  they  seated  themselves 
upon  the  cushions  which  the  black  slaves  piled 
up  beside  the  wicker  stands,  and  attacked  the 
food  vigorously,  despite  their  anxiety.  As  soon 
as  they  were  fairly  at  work  upon  their  very 
agreeable  task  the  Spanish-Moorish  fellow  — 
who  remained  after  the  slaves  had  gone  out  — 
tried  to  engage  them  in  conversation.  '  You 
are  travelers  here?  "  he  asked,  with  his  elusive 
smile,  and  with  much  rubbing  of  his  hands  to 
gether.  "  You  came  to  see  the  country  of  Mor 
occo?  "  Then,  as  neither  of  the  boys  replied, 
—  for  each  was  inwardly  debating  what  tack 

243 


to  take  with  the  man,  —  he  went  on,  smoothly, 
glibly,  insinuatingly,  "  You  have  come  over 
from  Mogador,  or  Saffi,  perhaps?  And  you 
seek  the  English  Consul?  " 

His  smooth  plausible  tones  angered  Bob 
Laurie.  '  Just  like  argan  oil,  and  rancid  at 
that!  "  he  remarked  afterward,  to  Lank.  But 
at  this  point  he  turned  toward  the  man  and 
spoke  out,  impulsively,  angrily :  "  See  here  - 
Alvo,  you  call  yourself!  What's  the  use  of 
your  going  on  in  that  fashion,  asking  questions 
which  you  can  answer  perfectly  well  yourself? 
You  know  who  we  are  and  how  we  came  here. 
Your  master,  the  Khedive,  told  you  to  watch  for 
us.  Now  let 's  understand  each  other.  You  've 
got  us  caged  up  here;  we  want  to  get  out  and 
find  a  consul.  When  are  you  going  to  let  us 
out?" 

If  impulsive,  outspoken  Bob  had  supposed 
that  the  Spanish-Moor  would  meet  him  frankly, 
he  had  quite  mistaken  him.  Alvo  raised  his 
hands  and  upturned  his  eyes  in  protest  of  his 
innocence  and  ignorance.  He  declared  that  the 

244 


THE    WILES    OF   THE    KHEDIVE 

young  English  gentleman  (he  thought  Bob  was 
English)  had  greatly  misjudged  the  situation. 
'  You  have  found  these  doors  locked,  it  is  true," 
he  admitted;  "but  that  is  only  for  your  own 
safety.  And  to-morrow,  after  a  good  sleep, 
you  shall  both  go  out  into  the  city  again." 

It  was  a  clever  rejoinder,  and  quite  closed 
Bob's  lips;  although  both  the  lads  distrusted 
him  as  much  as  ever.  Presently  he  took  his 
leave,  most  politely,  and  they  were  left  for  the 
night. 

They  fed  Trump,  as  soon  as  they  were  alone, 
and  then  made  themselves  very  comfortable 
among  the  divans  and  rugs,  finding  it  all  most 
delightfully  luxurious  after  their  deprivations 
and  distresses  upon  the  desert. 

Sometime  in  the  middle  of  the  night  Bob 
awakened.  He  lay  still  and  listened;  then  he 
quietly  reached  for  Lank's  hand,  and  pressed 
it ;  the  pressure  was  returned.  Then,  in  a  mo 
ment  or  two,  they  heard  —  as  they  had  heard 
before  —  a  rustling  sound  not  far  from  them. 
The  lamps  had  burned  down,  and  the  apart- 

245 


THE    SULTAN'S    RIVAL 

ment  was  very  dim,  though  not  absolutely  black. 
Again  that  ominous  rustling  sound,  and  the 
boys  clinched  their  hands  together  and  each 
felt  for  his  knife.  Then  came  a  squeak  like 
some  animal;  a  mouse  perhaps,  in  pain. 

At  this,  Lank,  not  only  anxious  for  Bob  and 
himself,  but  for  Trump  also,  shut  into  the  table, 
—  a  sort  of  desk  or  cabinet  it  was,  beautifully 
carved,  —  Lank  sprang  to  his  feet,  watchful 
and  defiant. 

As  he  did  so  he  saw  a  gliding,  snake-like  ob 
ject  pass  into  the  area  of  light  on  the  floor  which 
lay  just  below  the  iron-grated  aperture  in  the 
roof.  The  creature  entered  this  tract  of  dim 
light  and  disappeared  down  through  a  hole  in 
the  center  of  it,  which  had  been  made  there  to 
carry  off  rain  from  above,  and  water  when  the 
room  was  cleansed. 


246 


CHAPTER   XX 

A    MESSAGE    CONVEYED 

Lank  came  back  to  where  Bob  lay,  and  sat 
down.  "Did  you  see  what  that  was?"  Lank 
asked,  in  whispers. 

"  Yes,  I  did.  A  snake.  A  pretty  good  sizeH 
one." 

"  Fully  six  feet  long,  I  would  say,"  was 
Lank's  further  remark.  "  And  that  squeak  — 
Hold  on !  Let  me  have  a  look  at  Trump ! " 
And  he  leaped  to  his  feet  and  went  over  to  the 
desk  or  table  and  opened  the  drawer. 

"Time  to  get  up!  What  a  mess!"  came 
Trump's  voice,  in  a  sleepy  tone.  And  to  the 
boys  the  sound  was  like  sweet  music;  for  they 
had  been  seized  by  a  sudden  fear  lest  .  .  . 

"  Wahhed,  etnen,  telatah  [One,  two,  three, 
in  Arabic],"  went  on  Trump,  mixing  his 
languages  dreadfully.  Then  —  "  Scratch ! 

247 


THE    SULTAN'S    RIVAL 

Scratch  Trump !  "  and  the  clever  chap  pushed 
up  his  gray  head  and  waited  for  this  attention. 

After  a  little,  Lank  returned  to  his  divan 
beside  Bob,  and  the  two  conversed  in  low  tones. 
They  were  both  wide  awake,  and  their  nerves 
had  been  shaken  up  greatly.  '  That  was  a 
snake  of  good  size,"  said  Lank;  "  and  he  made 
way  with  some  poor  mouse  who  was  foraging 
among  the  remains  of  our  supper.  That 's  the 
way  I  figure  it." 

"  Well,  let 's  be  thankful  he  did  n't  take 
Trump,  or  one  of  us,"  was  Bob's  rejoinder. 
;<  Do  you  suppose  he  was  poisonous,  like  that 
Buskah,  that  terrible  viper,  the  '  Scourge  of 
the  Desert '  ?  " 

'  There  's  no  saying.  Anyhow,  he  has  gone 
now;  that  mouse  or  rat  will  occupy  him  for  a 
while.  But  what  do  you  think  of  our  situation, 
in  general  ?  " 

To  this  inquiry  Bob  made  reply :  "  It  strikes 
me  like  this.  Where  the  Sultan  is  we  don't 
know.  Where  the  Khedive  is  we  also  don't 
know ;  what  the  relations  are,  just  now,  between 

248 


A   MESSAGE    CONVEYED 

| 
those  two,  we  don't  know.     Whether  or  not 

the  Khedive  is  aware  of  the  aid  offered  him  by 
the  Souss  Sheikh  Mohammed  Amara,  we  don't 
know;  so  you  see  the  things  we  don't  know 
would  fill  a  volume;  then,  as  to  probabilities, 
I  think  the  Khedive  knows  about  the  wreck  of 
the  Saucy  Kate,  and  the  failure  of  that  expe 
dition;  very  likely  he  learned  about  our  transfer 
to  Sheikh  Abdul,  and  has  guessed  at  our  es 
cape,  and  is  fairly  sure  who  we  are.  The  one 
point  where  he  is  uncertain  is  regarding  our 
knowledge  of  him  and  his  conspiracy  against 
his  older  brother,  the  Sultan.  Also  he  is  anxious 
as  to  whether  we  will  '  Tell  on  him/  as  chil 
dren  say.  If  he  thought  he  had  reason  to  fear 
what  we  might  say  or  do,  he  would  bow-string 
us  in  a  jiffy.  At  the  same  time  he  would  rather 
not  put  us  to  death,  because  he  might  be  called 
upon  to  explain  our  sudden  disappearance ;  for 
we  have  been  seen,  here  in  the  city,  by  a  good 
number  of  people,  any  one  of  whom  might  re 
port  about  our  presence  here  to  some  official 
or  some  European.  So  that 's  about  the  way 

249 


THE    SULTAN'S    RIVAL 

I  figure  the  thing  out,  Lank.  How  does  all 
that  strike  you  ?  " 

"  I  believe  you  've  got  close  to  the  truth  of 
the  situation,"  was  Lank's  comment.  "  The 
Khedive  is  in  a  state  of  uncertainty.  He  's  '  on 
the  fence,'  as  you  Americans  say." 

"  Yes,  he  does  n't  know  which  way  to  jump," 
added  Bob,  with  a  quiet  chuckle.  "  That 's  the 
rest  of  the  saying." 

"  Quite  so,"  continued  the  English  lad.  "  I  'm 
not  sure  whether  or  not  I  would  recognize  him 
if  I  saw  him;  or  whether  he  would  know  me. 
That  point  might  make  some  difference  in  his 
action  toward  us.  But  let 's  try  to  go  to  sleep ; 
we  need  to ;  you  sleep  and  I  '11  stand  watch, 
as  we  say  on  board  ship;  or,  if  you  are  not 
in  the  least  sleepy  I  think  I  can  get  '  forty 
winks,'  and  by  that  time  you  may  feel  more 
like  it." 

So  they  divided  into  "  Port "  and  "  Star 
board  "  watches.  Bob  took  the  first  watch,  — 
an  hour  long,  or  as  near  to  it  as  he  could  guess ; 
and  Lankester,  with  his  more  seasoned  nerves, 

250 


A    MESSAGE    CONVEYED 

was  soon  fast  asleep.  Bob  was  very  wakeful. 
The  sight  of  that  gliding  sinuous  creature,  so 
silent  yet  perhaps  so  venomous,  had  got  on  his 
nerves. 

The  night  wore  away;  and,  in  the  morning, 
when  Alvo  came  with  the  slaves  and  some  kous- 
kous  (boiled  fowl  and  boiled  wheat),  Bob  at 
once  informed  him  about  their  ugly  midnight 
visitor;  whereupon  that  Spanish-Moorish  in 
dividual  burst  into  a  laugh ;  not  a  hearty,  whole 
some  laugh,  —  he  never  laughed  in  that  way,  - 
but  into  a  noiseless  grimace,  with  a  shutting  of 
his  secretive  eyes  which  made  him  look  more 
plausible  than  ever.  "  O,  that  was  only  Sjit,"  he 
explained.  '  You  have  not  him  to  fear.  Sjit 
is  our  house-snake.  He  catch  rats  and  mice. 
All  houses  in  Marrakesh  have  house-snakes; 
quite  same  as  house-cat  in  England." 

Bob  eyed  him  suspiciously  as  he  spoke;  he 
instinctively  distrusted  whatever  the  glib  fellow 
said ;  but,  in  this  case,  our  young  friend  inclined 
to  think  he  was  telling  the  truth ;  and  he  recol 
lected  hearing  the  consul  in  Gibraltar  once 

251 


THE    SULTAN'S    RIVAL 

say  something  about  this  queer  Moroccan 
custom. 

After  breakfast  Alvo,  who  seemed  devoting 
himself  to  their  welfare,  announced  that  they 
were  free  to  go  out  and  see  the  city.  "  You 
shall  understand,"  he  remarked,  in  an  injured 
tone  which  was  only  feigned,  "that  you  are 
not  captives ;  you  are  only  under  the  protection 
of  the  Khedive,  my  master.  Shall  we  go  out 
now?" 

Impulsive  Bob  was  on  the  point  of  exclaim 
ing,  "Yes,  for  goodness'  sake,  do  let's  get 
out  of  this  prison,"  but  Lank  cut  in  ahead;  and, 
to  Bob's  mystification,  said  that  in  a  half-hour 
they  would  go  out. 

As  soon  as  Alvo  had  departed,  Bob  turned 
to  his  friend  for  an  explanation.  And  Lank, 
glancing  about,  cautiously,  at  the  several  doors 
around  the  apartment,  went  to  the  desk  and 
took  out  Trump.  '  He  's  why  I  did  n't  want  to 
go  out  at  this  very  minute.  I  think  that  even 
keen-eyed  Alvo  does  n't  know  he  is  here ;  and 
if  we  left  him  here  alone  you  may  rest  assured 

252 


A    MESSAGE    CONVEYED 

it  would  be  known  in  ten  minutes  after  we  went 
out.  This  room,  furniture,  divans  and  all,  will 
be  searched." 

So  speaking,  he  tore  off  a  strip  from  under 
his  haik  and  skillfully  fashioned  a  little  hood 
for  Trump's  head.  "  We  '11  give  him  a  quieter ; 
like  a  falcon  I  once  saw  in  Devonshire;  he 
does  n't  talk  much,  you  know,  when  he  is  in  the 
dark.  There,  Mister  Trump,  you  will  be  quite 
easy  in  that ;  but  we  shan't  be  obliged  to  listen 
to  too  many  speeches  from  you." 

Bob  now  took  from  a  pocket  in  his  shirt 
the  scrap  of  paper  which  contained  the  real 
message  of  the  Souss  Sheikh  to  the  Khedive. 
"  It  strikes  me,"  said  the  American  lad,  "  that 
it  would  be  just  as  well  if  this  were  not  found 
on  us,  in  case  we  were  searched.  At  any  time 
we  may  be  put  in  chains  and  treated  brutally, 
and  of  course,  searched,  in  place  of  being 
treated,  as  we  are  now,  with  caution  and  cun 
ning.  In  fact,  I  think  that  the  Khedive  is  away, 
and  this  smooth  Spanish-Moor  is  simply  killing 
time  with  us,  until  his  master  returns."  Thus 

253 


THE    SULTAN'S    RIVAL 

speaking,  Bob  tore  up  the  paper  into  the  finest 
possible  fragments,  even  chewing  some  of  them 
to  a  pulp,  and  carefully  dropped  them  down 
the  hole  into  which  the  snake  had  glided. 

So,  a  little  later,  when  Alvo  re-entered,  and 
again  invited  them,  they  were  quite  ready,  and 
Trump  was  silent  and  content  under  the  folds 
of  his  master's  voluminous  garment. 

It  was  a  relief  for  the  lads  to  find  themselves 
in  the  open  streets  once  more.  Alvo  walked 
with  them,  and  was  very  attentive,  showing 
them  the  sights  and  explaining  fully  whatever 
they  asked  about.  In  an  open  square  near  the 
lofty  Koutoubia  they  saw  some  boys  playing  a 
game  of  foot-ball;  but  the  ball  was  not  air- 
filled;  it  was  heavy,  was  stuffed  with  a  light 
grass  which  grows  outside  the  walls,  and  was 
kicked  and  punched  without  much  organized 
team-play. 

In  a  market-place  not  far  within  the  Bab 
Aghmat  (Southeastern  gate),  they  stopped 
and  watched  some  of  the  showmen  who  were  to 
be  seen  there.  Most  of  all  they  watched  a  wild- 

254 


A    MESSAGE    CONVEYED 

looking  fellow  who  was  a  snake-charmer.  There 
was  a  long  prelude  of  shrill,  discordant  noise 
from  a  sort  of  tambourine  and  a  reed  instru 
ment,  and  the  fakir  invoked  Allah  and  Sidi  Ben 
Ai'ssa  (the  patron  saint  of  serpents)  to  make 
the  onlookers  generous  in  their  contributions. 
Finally  he  drew  from  a  large  leather  bag  two 
snakes,  about  three  feet  long,  and  went  through 
the  usual  program  of  twining  them  about  his 
neck,  and  he  even  goaded  one  of  them  to  bite 
him  on  his  thrust-out  tongue. 

It  was  disgusting  rather  than  exciting,  and 
Bob  tired  of  it  soon.  So  they  indicated  to  Alvo 
that  they  would  like  to  move  on,  and  he  was 
not  unwilling,  for  he  seemed  decidedly  restless 
and  nervous,  turning  his  gaze  constantly  in 
various  directions. 

As  for  Bob  and  Lank,  they  too  were  restless, 
and  they  too  turned  their  gaze  ceaselessly  in 
one  and  another  direction.  The  fact  was  that 
Alvo  and  our  young  friends  were  all  looking 
for  the  same  thing;  only  the  boys  looked  for  it 
with  eagerness  and  hope,  and  their  guardian 

255 


THE    SULTAN'S    RIVAL 

looked  for  it  with  dread ;  that  is,  all  three  knew 
that  if  they  happened  to  meet  a  European  mer 
chant  of  high  standing,  or  some  consul,  that 
meeting  would  change  the  situation  of  the  lads 
very  materially. 

Then,  too,  Bob  and  Lank  were  both  glancing 
around  them  hoping  to  see  Abraham  Chergis, 
the  friend  of  Sabah.  "  Don't  forget  the  sign," 
was  Lank's  injunction.  And  at  that  very  mo 
ment  he  saw  it. 

They  had  stopped  for  a  moment  in  front  of 
a  shop  where  several  men  were  working  upon 
the  famous  Morocco  leather,  which  is  known  the 
world  over,  and  emits  such  a  pungent  and  pleas 
ant  odor ;  when  Bob,  looking  back  of  a  man  who 
was  pounding  vigorously,  saw  an  old,  bearded 
man,  in  the  blue  caftan  which  most  Jews  wear 
in  Morocco,  and  this  man  suddenly  laid  his  fore 
finger  alongside  his  nose ;  first  on  one  side  of  the 
nose  then  on  the  other. 

That  gave  Bob  quite  a  start;  for  it  was  the 
signal  agreed  on  with  Sabah.  This,  therefore, 
must  be  his  friend  Abraham  Chergis.  At  once 

256 


A    MESSAGE    CONVEYED 

Bob  imitated  the  signal,  but  in  a  casual  way, 
scrutinizing  as  he  did  so  the  shoes  and  satchels 
of  leather  which  were  in  the  front  of  the 
shop. 

Then  our  party  moved  on,  and  continued  their 
tour  of  the  picturesque  city;  but  the  boys  had 
little  interest  in  the  strange  sights,  for  they 
were  wildly  anxious  to  get  into  close  touch  with 
their  recent  ally.  Still,  they  tried  not  to  disclose 
any  evidence  of  being  suddenly  excited,  and 
they  felt  that  they  must  leave  to  Abraham  the 
decision  as  to  the  best  means  of  communication. 

At  times  Bob  glanced  back,  in  their  saunter 
ing,  and  he  saw  the  graybearded  Jew  following 
them;  but  he  saw,  also,  that  the  clever  Alvo 
had  two  other  men  as  his  aids,  and  these  two, 
while  appearing  to  be  interested  only  in  their 
own  affairs,  really  were  keeping  always  not 
very  far  from  Alvo  and  his  charges. 

Twice  the  Jew  tried  to  get  near  them.  "  He 
probably  will  seek  to  pass  some  slip  of  paper 
to  us,"  conjectured  Bob.  But  he  was  warned 
away  by  Alvo,  who  would  allow  nobody  to  get 

257 


THE    SULTAN'S    RIVAL 

near  the  boys,  although  many  Moors  and 
Arabs  and  Negroes  from  the  South  stared  and 
even  spit  at  them. 

This  promenade  was  not  highly  enjoyed  by 
Bob  and  Lank.  But  they  kept  up  a  brave  show 
of  unconcern,  and  even  asked  questions  of  Alvo. 
When  they  entered  the  gate  which  opens  into 
the  niellah  or  Jewish  quarter  of  the  city,  there 
was  less  ill-will  shown  them,  but,  all  the  time, 
they  were  burning  to  get  into  communication 
with  Abraham  Chergis. 

At  this  point,  Bob  —  partly  because  he  \vas 
interested  in  it,  and  partly  to  keep  up  a  pre 
tense  of  indifference  —  stopped  before  one  of 
the  singular  paper  placards,  a  few  inches  square, 
which  may  be  seen  on  most  of  the  dwellings 
in  the  mcllah  of  Morocco  City.  Alvo  explained 
this  notice  to  them,  even  translating  the  Hebrew 
in  which  it  was  written ;  for  the  Spanish-Moor 
was  an  adept  at  languages. 

"  Marrakesh,"  he  said;  "  it  is  a  place  of  scor 
pions.  Many  here.  You  have  them  seen  ?" 

"  Plenty  of  them,"  responded  Bob.     "  Run- 


A   MESSAGE    CONVEYED 

ning  around  like  French  toys  that  wind  up; 
with  their  tails  curled  over  their  backs." 

'  Yes,"  resumed  Alvo,  "  and  you  know  they 
poison.  These  Jews,  they  make  charm  against 
the  scorpions.  The  high-priest,  he  make  them. 
Draw  picture  of  scorpion,  not  good  picture,  but 
picture,  and  write  under  it  so."  Here  he 
pointed  at  the  paper  before  which  they  three 
were  standing.  It  ran  like  this,  — 

Epicoros  V  Apretata 

Picoros  ^i  Pretata 

Icoros  ^IN  Retata 

Coros  BPI  Etata 

Oros  BIUJO  Tata 

Ros  «pnSl  Ata 

Os  BIuI^n  Ta 

S  •eraiSijg;  A 


And  the  translation  of  this  magical  charm  for 
the  confounding  of  evil-minded  scorpions  was 
this :  "  O  scorpion,  daughter  of  a  scorpion,  be 
thou  accursed  by  the  strength  of  every  power 
that  exists,  so  that  you  may  not  enter  this  house 
nor  'do  harm  to  any  child  of  Israel ! " 

Bob  listened,  as  Alvo  read  and  explained; 
259 


then  he  asked,  "  Do  you  think  it  keeps  the 
scorpions  away,  Alvo?  " 

But  Alvo  was  too  clever  to  put  much  con 
fidence  in  that  sort  of  thing;  he  merely  laughed, 
and  shrugged  his  shoulders,  as  Frenchmen  do. 
But  the  colloquy  was  here  cut  short  by  the 
noise  and  confusion  of  a  street  row  which  sev 
eral  people  suddenly  engaged  in,  a  rod  or  two 
away. 

There  was  a  general  mix-up,  by  three  men, 
with  much  cursing  and  some  blows.  Our  young 
friends  gave  their  full  attention  to  the  fighting, 
as  did  Alvo  also;  then,  in  a  moment,  Bob  saw 
him  give  a  signal,  and  the  two  men  who  were 
really  acting  as  a  guard  for  the  boys,  rushed 
upon  the  noisy  fighters,  and  dealt  them  hard 
blows  with  the  sticks  which  they  carried. 

At  this  instant  Bob  felt  some  hand  touch  his, 
and  a  slip  of  paper  was  thrust  into  his  grasp. 

Like  a  flash  it  all  became  clear  to  him;  the 
quarrel  and  fighting  had  been  gotten  up  to  dis 
tract  Alvo's  attention  and  that  of  the  guards; 
and  Abraham  —  or  some  assistant  of  his  — 

260 


A    MESSAGE    CONVEYED 

had  found  the  chance  to  put  a  slip  of  paper  into 
Rob's  hand. 

Bob  instantly  secreted  the  paper  inside  his 
loose  dress,  and  gave  no  sign  of  excitement ;  he 
did  not  even  try  to  communicate  to  Lank  the 
news  of  this  incident.  But  he  did  begin  to 
complain  of  being  tired;  and  soon  suggested 
that  they  return  to  the  Kasbah,  where  was  their 
apartment. 

As  soon  as  the  lads  were  left  alone  in  the 
apartment,  Bob,  in  a  low  tone,  revealed  what 
had  happened.  Lank  had  not  perceived  it,  so 
swiftly  and  smoothly  it  had  been  done.  But, 
of  course,  both  the  lads  were  tremendously  eager 
to  learn  what  was  the  message  on  the  scrap  of 
paper.  It  was  their  one  hope  of  escape,  so  far 
as  they  could  judge.  What  had  Abraham 
Chergis,  faithful  friend  of  their  faithful  friend 
Sabah,  to  say  to  them  ? 


261 


CHAPTER   XXI 

AN    INSIDIOUS   ENEMY 

The  slip  of  paper  which  had  been  placed  so 
adroitly  in  Bob  Laurie's  hand,  contained  the 
following  brief  message,  in  labored  English 
script : 

"Friends  of  my  friend,  be  of  good  cheer.  The 
Sultan  is  in  Fez.  He  will  not  be  here  in  Marrakesh 
until  many  months.  The  Khedive  is  away  on  ex 
pedition;  he  may  return  soon.  No  consul  except 
English  here  has  office;  he  is  now  in  Saffi,  since  one 
week.  I  have  to  him  sent  messenger.  Be  of  good 
cheer.  One  week;  perhaps  but  half  week." 

There  was  no  name  signed  to  this  brief  letter, 
but  our  young  friends  did  not  distrust  its  gen 
uineness  on  that  account.  They  knew  that  the 
omission  of  a  signature  was  simply  a  sensible 
precaution  on  the  writer's  part.  There  could 
be  no  reasonable  doubt  but  that  the  wise,  reso 
lute  old  Jew  who  had  given  them  the  sign,  and 

262 


AN    INSIDIOUS    ENEMY 

had  also  conveyed  to  them  the  letter,  was  Abra 
ham  Chergis,  friend  of  Sabah,  and  was  bent 
on  doing  them  a  service. 

'  That  seems  to  be  the  only  explanation,"  re 
marked  Bob.  '  There  is  nobody  else  in  this  bar 
barous  city  who  would  concern  himself  with  us." 

''  He  says  —  that  is,  the  note  says  —  "  added 
Lank,  looking  the  slip  of  paper  over  carefully, 
"  that  perhaps  a  week  may  be  needed  to  get  the 
consul  here.  I  take  for  granted  that  he  has 
asked  the  consul  to  come;  and  he  will  come 
if  —  " 

"If  —  "  echoed  Bob,  "if  he  is  in  Saffi.  I 
hope,  with  all  my  heart,  that  he  is  there.  Things 
may  happen  here  at  any  time.  I  don't  believe 
that  Alvo  would  shrink,  one  atom,  from  giving 
an  order  for  our  beheading,  or  from  putting  a 
knife  into  us,  himself." 

"  Yes,  I  'm  afraid  that  is  about  the  whole 
of  it,"  was  Lank's  gloomy  comment.  "He  is 
plainly  waiting  for  something;  he  is  killing 
time,  so  to  speak,  instead  of  killing  us.  I 

never  —  " 

263 


THE    SULTAN'S    RIVAL 

At  this  point  the  British  lad's  voice  suddenly 
faltered  and  his  face  became  strangely  pale; 
then  he  seemed  to  gather  himself,  holding  his 
voice  to  its  path,  and  setting  his  features  as 
if  in  a  vise. 

He  was  facing  Bob,  and  facing  also  one  of 
the  doors,  —  the  one  which  had  a  rug-portiere 
hanging  over  it,  in  part.  The  two  lads  had 
been  talking  in  very  low  tones,  and  Lank  now 
continued,  as  if  finishing  his  sentence;  but  he 
said,  instead :  "  There  is  a  man  behind  that 
portiere.  The  door  has  opened.  I  think  the 
man  is  the  Khedive.  He  is  watching  us.  Do 
not  turn  your  head.  Talk!  talk!  Let  us  keep 
on  talking,  and  more  and  more  loudly,  about 
everything  in  general.  Tell  me  about  your 
country;  Boston,  let  us  say." 

Bob  was  conscious  that  his  muscles  had  be 
come  tense,  under  this  startling  communica 
tion,  but  he  took  his  cue,  and  began,  at  first 
in  a  low  tone,  then  gradually  speaking  more 
loudly:  "  You  see,  Boston  is  one  of  the  oldest 
cities  in  the  United  States;  it  is  situated,  as 

264 


AN    INSIDIOUS    ENEMY 

you  know,  on  the  seacoast,  and  it  contains 
many  scenes  and  objects  of  interest,  like  Boston 
Common,  the  Public  Garden,  the  State  House, 
the  Shaw  Monument,  and  Faneuil  Hall.  When 
I  was  a  small  boy  I  often  coasted  on  Boston 
Common  and  I  skated  —  " 

'  There !  That 's  enough,"  interrupted  Lank, 
heaving  a  sigh  of  relief.  "  The  door  has  closed. 
But  I  feel  pretty  sure  that  it  was  the  Khedive's 
face  I  saw.  I  remember  him  fairly  well.  I 
only  wonder  if  he  remembers  me,  or  thinks 
I  remember  him." 

He  paused  and  reflected,  and  Bob  said,  forc 
ing  a  smile :  "  It 's  rather  important,  that  is.  It 
will  probably  be  a  matter  of  life  or  death  for 
us." 

"  Perhaps  so,"  assented  Lank,  who  never 
was  quite  so  ready  as  was  his  impulsive  com 
panion  to  give  up  hope.  :'  I  think  that  the 
man  behind  the  rug-curtain  did  not  suspect 
that  I  saw  him.  You  took  up  the  talk  extremely 
well." 

Alvo  from  time  to  time  came  in,  but  he  was 
265 


THE    SULTAN'S    RIVAL 

so  false  in  his  conduct,  so  plausible  in  his  man 
ner,  that  our  young  friends  preferred,  usually, 
to  be  left  alone  in  their  imprisonment;  for  such 
they  felt  it  to  be. 

The  next  day  Alvo  entered,  rubbing  his  hands 
with  more  than  usual  rapidity,  and  said :  "  We 
rejoice.  Sidi,  our  glorious  Khedive,  has  to-day 
returned  from  a  journey.  He  will  see  his  — 
his  young  guests." 

"Guests!"  echoed  Bob,  scornfully,  in  an 
undertone.  "  Better  say  captives."  But  they 
awaited  with  no  little  anxiety  what  the  near 
future  would  bring  to  them.  They  felt  sure 
that  now  something,  good  or  bad  for  them, 
would  be  done. 

Alvo  glided  in  and  out  of  their  apartment 
several  times  in  preparing  and  presenting 
their  food.  "  Sly,  treacherous,  close-mouthed 
wretch !  "  muttered  Bob,  and  then  he  added : 
"  I  'm  going  to  see  if  I  can  startle  him  even 
one  little  bit,  Lank,  out  of  that  smooth  self- 
control  of  his." 

So,  when  the  soft-footed  Spanish-Moor  came 
266 


AN    INSIDIOUS    ENEMY 

again  into  their  presence,  our  young  friend 
turned  to  him,  and  said,  "  Alvo !  " 

The  man  turned  and  looked  at  him ;  the  two 
stood  face  to  face.  Then  Bob  asked  suddenly: 
"  Do  you  know  where  Sheikh  Mohammed 
Amara  is?  " 

There  was  just  the  slightest  possible  narrow 
ing  of  the  eyes  —  no  other  sign  of  surprise  — 
and  Alvo's  voice  came  back  in  supple  cadences. 
"  I  know  not  such  a  man.  Who  is  he  ?  " 

Bob,  with  his  frank,  outspoken  nature,  could 
only  marvel  at  the  fellow's  self-control.  Du 
plicity  was  so  ingrained  in  him,  deceit  was  so 
habitual  with  him,  that  nobody  could  catch 
him  much  off  his  guard.  And  the  American 
lad  merely  replied :  '  You  beat  me.  I  'm  not 
in  your  class." 

Alvo,  with  a  bland  and  blank  look  on  his 
face,  turned  to  his  duties,  but  when  his  face 
was  averted,  a  gleam  in  his  eye  and  a  smile 
of  satisfaction  showed  that  he  respected  and 
enjoyed  his  own  cleverness. 

After  leaving  them  to  themselves  for  a  few 
267 


THE    SULTAN'S    RIVAL 

hours,  Alvo  came  in,  and  announced  that  the 
Khedive  wished  to  see  his  —  "  Guests."  At 
which  Bob  Laurie  sniffed  audibly  and  scorn 
fully.  But  they  followed  him  through  one  of 
the  doors,  as  he  directed,  and  along  several 
narrow  passages.  This  structure,  the  Kasbah 
or  castle,  evidently  was  a  building  of  consider 
able  extent. 

At  length  they  merged  into  a  court  which 
was  paved  with  green  and  red,  and  had  a 
colonnade  around  it  supported  by  white  pilasters 
with  arches,  colored  in  green  and  gold.  In  the 
middle  of  the  court  a  fountain  of  perfumed 
water  sent  up  a  jet  ceaselessly,  and  the  odor 
permeated  the  entire  court.  There  were 
framed  inscriptions  in  gold  from  the  Koran 
on  the  walls,  and  Bob  noticed  a  heavy  leather 
whip  of  braided  thongs  fastened  to  one  of  the 
pilasters.  He  could  easily  guess  its  use.  A 
number  of  white  mattresses  lay  about  on  the 
tessellated  floor,  and  on  one  of  these,  with  gaily 
colored  cushions  around  him,  and  several 
black  slaves  about  him,  sat  a  man  of  perhaps 

268 


AN    INSIDIOUS    ENEMY 

fifty  years,  full-bearded,  turbaned,  stout,  keen- 
eyed,  and  with  a  crafty  expression  of  features. 
He  was  clothed  in  one  great  enveloping  gar 
ment  of  gold-embroidered  silk,  and  his  bare 
feet  showed  plainly,  his  embroidered  leather 
slippers  standing  not  far  away.  At  one  side, 
near  at  hand,  where  the  Khedive  had  just  set  it, 
was  a  chessboard  with  chessmen.  Evidently 
he  was  a  lover  of  the  game.  For  one  instant 
Bob  wondered,  the  chessmen  looked  so  familiar, 
white  and  red.  Then  he  remembered  how  a 
friend  in  Gibraltar  had  explained  to  him  that 
chess  was  much  played  among  Arabs,  and  that 
the  very  word  "  Check-mate  "  was  an  altered 
form  of  the  Arabic  words,  "  Sheikh  mat," 
meaning  "  the  Sheikh  is  dead." 

Our  young  friends  advanced  slowly,  and 
stood  in  silence  a  few  moments,  as  the  Khedive 
scrutinized  them.  The  scrutiny  was  especially 
trying  for  Lankester  Diggles  because  he  did 
really  recognize  the  Khedive,  yet  he  knew  how 
important  it  was  that  he  should  not  give  any 
sign  of  this. 

269 


THE    SULTAN'S    RIVAL 

After  a  moment  or  two  Bob  grew  impatient 
of  this  Oriental  slowness  of  pace,  and  broke 
out :  "  If  you  understand  English,  sir,  I  wish  to 
ask  why  my  friend  and  I  are  detained  in  this 
castle." 

A  smile  slowly  spread  over  the  dark,  oily 
visage  of  the  Khedive.  "  As  my  honored 
guests,"  he  replied  in  excellent  English,  and 
bowed. 

'  I  beg  your  pardon,"  was  Bob's  bold  en 
counter,  "  but  we  are  prisoners,  not  guests." 

The  black  eyes  searched  the  lad's  face  with 
interest  and  amusement.  He  rather  liked  the 
spirit  of  the  lad.  It  was  so  different  from  the 
cringing  servility  with  which  he  was  usually 
met.  '  Things  are  not  always  what  they  seem, 
in  Moghreb  al  Acksa  "  (Moorish  name  of  Mo 
rocco),  he  made  answer,  as  if  giving  out  an 
enigma.  Then  he  added :  "  Can  my  young 
friends  cure  the  sick,  or  make  gunpowder  ?': 

For  a  second  Bob  and  Lank  were  nonplussed ; 
but  Bob,  being  an  intelligent  and  well-read  lad, 
quickly  framed  an  explanation  in  his  own  mind. 

270 


AN    INSIDIOUS    ENEMY 

All  Europeans,  as  believers  in  Jesus,  —  who  is 
held  by  Moslems  to  have  been  a  great  physician, 
—  are  thought  to  possess  power  over  diseases. 
And,  as  to  the  gunpowder,  there  was  no  doubt 
but  the  Khedive,  with  his  ambitious  designs  for 
the  throne,  —  and  perhaps  with  guns  from  the 
wrecked  yacht,  the  Saucy  Kate,  —  was  much 
in  need  of  gunpowder. 

Lank  glanced  at  Bob,  and  left  to  him  the  an 
swering  of  this  double  question.  And  our 
honest,  fearless,  young  friend  did  not  hesitate. 
"  We  can  do  neither  of  these  things,"  he  re 
plied.  "  At  least  nothing  as  to  the  making  of 
gunpowder;  and  as  to  curing  the  sick,  we  can 
do  only  a  little." 

A  look  of  disappointment  showed  itself  in  the 
Khedive's  face.  He  rocked  slowly  backward 
and  forward  with  his  eyes  now  bent  down,  and 
seemed  to  be  pondering  some  question.  Then 
he  abruptly  gave  a  signal  to  Alvo,  and  that  at 
tentive  and  obedient  individual  motioned  the 
lads  to  follow  him. 

Bob   started  to  protest.     "  I  wish  you  to 
271 


THE    SULTAN'S    RIVAL 

know  —  "  But  the  Khedive  raised  his  palm 
in  command  and  gave  him  a  savage  look  which 
augured  ill,  and  the  American  lad  felt  that 
further  talk  was  useless. 

Back  they  trailed,  in  silence,  through  the  nar 
row,  dark  stone  passages,  and  presently  stood 
again  in  their  apartment.  After  a  period  of 
silence  Bob  thought  of  going  up  upon  the  roof, 
ascending  by  the  little  staircase;  but  he  re 
membered  that  the  door  at  the  top  had  been 
fastened,  after  that  first  day. 

The  boys  paced  the  room  and  talked,  and  en 
couraged  each  other.  Trump,  being  set  free, 
flew  about  the  place,  and  joined  in  the  conver 
sation.  Presently  the  hour  drew  near  when  food 
was  usually  brought  to  them,  and  Lank  con 
cealed  his  pet  in  the  deep  drawer  of  the  desk. 
Whether  or  not  Trump's  presence  had  escaped 
the  ferret  eyes  of  Alvo,  the  boys  were  not  sure. 
It  would  be  Alvo's  way,  even  if  he  had  dis 
covered  the  parrot's  presence,  to  conceal  his  own 
knowledge  of  that  fact. 

In  due  time  the  slaves,  led  by  Alvo,  brought 
272 


AN    INSIDIOUS    ENEMY 

in  the  food.  The  boys  could  not  complain  of 
the  fare ;  it  was  rich  and  abundant,  but  always 
flavored  so  strangely  of  argan  oil  that  they  re 
volted  at  it,  more  and  more. 

Chickens  and  pigeons,  roasted  and  boiled, 
with  coarse  barley  bread  and  sweetmeats  and 
oranges,  —  this  was  about  the  usual  menu.  As 
soon  as  their  attendants  went  out  the  boys  be 
gan  eating,  yet  not  with  zest ;  each  was  wrapped 
in  his  own  gloomy  forebodings;  even  hopeful 
Lank  could  not  see  much  that  was  encouraging 
in  their  situation.  They  nibbled  and  ate,  in  an 
absent-minded  way,  for  some  time. 

Suddenly  Lankester  stopped  short  in  his  eat 
ing,  stared  at  the  piece  of  chicken  which  he  was 
holding  in  his  fingers,  —  no  forks  being  used 
in  Morocco,  —  and  then  exclaimed,  "  Bob,  have 
you  been  eating  some  of  the  chicken?  " 

"  Yes,"  replied  Bob,  now  shaking  off  his 
brooding  fancies,  "  I  think  I  have  eaten  a  little." 
And  he  added,  "  It  has  a  queer  taste  —  Lank, 
Lank,  —  do  you  suppose  .  .  .  it  is  .  .  . 

He  did  not  finish  his  sentence.  Both  boys  had 
273 


THE    SULTAN'S    RIVAL 

the  same  word  in  their  minds,  although  they 
would  not  speak  it.  Poison  is  frequently  used 
in  Morocco;  and  that  queer,  bitter  taste  .  .  . 

No  wonder  that  they  both  grew  pale.  And 
Lank  blurted  out,  with  more  excitement  than  he 
usually  showed:  "  It  might  have  been  a  good 
idea,  when  we  were  standing  so  near  that 
treacherous  savage,  the  Khedive,  if  we  had 
whipped  out  our  knives  and  settled  his  account 
then  and  there.  Only,  I  suppose,  Alvo  and 
those  slaves  were  watching  every  movement  we 
made." 

They  now  examined  the  contents  of  the 
"  stew  "  (Kouskous)  from  which  they  had  been 
eating,  and  they  believed  that  neither  of  them 
had  really  consumed,  as  yet,  much  of  the  meats. 
But  they  also  had  little  doubt  that  an  attempt 
had  been  made  to  put  them  out  of  the  way 
with  poison.  And  this  suspicion  plunged  them 
into  the  depths  of  anxiety.  To  die,  by  poison 
or  starvation, —  that  seemed  their  unavoidable 
fate. 


274 


It  came  to  him  as  the  voice  of  a  djinn 

See  page  jog 


CHAPTER   XXII 

A   BATTLE   IN   THE   AIR 

Of  course  there  was  no  more  eating,  at  least 
of  any  of  the  various  meats.  Both  of  them 
broke  apart  and  ate  some  of  the  oranges,  but 
examined  the  fruit  carefully,  before  eating  it. 
Presently  Bob  said,  —  and  he  looked  pale  and 
haggard,  as  he  spoke,  —  "  I  'm  afraid,  Lank, 
.  .  .  I  'm  afraid  .  .  .  that  I  feel  a  bit,  .  .  . 
just  a  bit  sick." 

Instantly  Lank  was  all  attention;  yet  he  did 
not  wish  to  encourage  his  companion  if  Bob  was 
only  thinking  he  felt  what  he  really  did  not; 
fancy  is  strong  in  youthful  minds.  "  Are  you 
sure,  Bob?"  he  asked,  with  sympathy  in  his 
voice. 

Bob  Laurie  compressed  his  lips  and  nodded 
his  head.  :c  It  is  n't  much,  Lank,  old  boy.  Don't 
you  be  alarmed.  It 's  a  pain,  inside  here,  but 
it 's  very  slight." 

275 


THE    SULTAN'S    RIVAL 

The  situation  was  a  threatening  one,  sus 
pense  and  anxiety  enwrapping  them;  but  both 
lads  acted  like  men,  and,  while  they  talked  little, 
the  grasp  which  Lank  gave  Bob's  hand  ex 
pressed  much. 

Minutes  passed.  The  pain  became  no  greater. 
"  Eat  all  the  orange  you  can,  Bob,"  suggested 
Lank.  :'  We  have  a  plenty  of  them ;  the  Lord 
Almighty  made  them  and  they  're  all  right ;  but 
this  deadly  mixture  of  argan  oil  and  what  else 
I  know  not — perhaps  it  is  simply  the  rancid 
oil  that  gives  you  the  pain.  Is  it  wrorse  ?  ': 

"No;  I'm  thankful  it  is  n't." 

"  Good!  O,  I  'm  glad  to  hear  you  say  that." 
And  the  two  close  friends  worked  away  on  the 
oranges,  feeling  that  the  juice  might  possibly 
correct  any  poisonous  substances  already  in  the 
stomach. 

An  hour  passed.  A  dreary,  dismal  hour ;  yet 
increasing  the  boys'  hopes;  for  the  pain  grew 
no  greater,  and  it  even  diminished.  Bob,  cast 
ing  his  glance  at  the  uneaten  food  on  the  trays, 
remarked,  "  That  would  be  good  stuff  for  our 

276 


A    BATTLE    IN    THE    AIR 

house-snake,  if  he  happened  to  come  around." 
But  when  Lank  went  a  step  further  and  sug 
gested  that  they  put  the  tray  down  near  the 
drain-hole,  in  the  center  of  the  room,  Bob  said, 
"  No,  Lank,  I  don't  think  I  would.  That  chap 
is  entirely  harmless,  unpleasant  neighbor  though 
he  is;  and  somehow  I  don't  feel  like  poisoning 
him;  he  does  the  best  he  knows,  and  that  is 
more  than  I  can  say  of  Khedives  and  such 
cattle."  So  the  kind-hearted  lad  laughed,  and 
his  view  prevailed. 

Alvo  did  not  break  in  upon  their  solitude 
for  nearly  twelve  hours.  "  He  's  giving  his 
poison  time  to  work,"  remarked  Bob,  with  some 
spirit.  But  they  suspected  that  they  were  under 
surveillance.  Once  Lank  thought  he  detected 
a  movement  behind  the  rug-curtain,  or  porti 
ere;  and  once  they  both  caught  sight  of  the 
shadow  of  a  human  head,  as  it  was  cast  upon 
the  floor  by  some  person  who  was  looking  down 
through  the  square  opening  in  the  roof  above 
them.  At  sight  of  this  shadow  Lankester  Dig- 
gles,  with  his  sailor  agility,  sped  up  the  stair- 

277 


THE    SULTAN'S    RIVAL 

case,  and  tried  the  roof-door.  To  his  sur 
prise  it  was  now  unlocked ;  but,  when  he  lifted 
it  and  went  out  upon  the  roof,  he  could  see 
nobody. 

He  returned  to  Bob,  who  was  now  quite  re 
covered,  and  they  conferred  gloomily.  They 
felt  that  they  were  in  the  toils  of  cruel  foes, 
crafty  and  unscrupulous,  who  would  not  hesi 
tate  one  instant,  from  any  motive  of  pity,  to 
take  their  lives  by  violence;  but  prudence  it 
must  be  which  guided  them,  and  what  they  did 
would  be  done  by  wiles.  "  I  think  that  the 
Khedive  gave  up  all  interest  in  us,"  was  Bob's 
suggestion,  "  when  he  found  that  we  could  not 
be  of  service  to  him  in  making  gunpowder,  — 
which  he  probably  needs,  —  or  in  healing  sick 
people.  And  he  wishes  he  were  well  rid  of  us, 
too." 

"  But,  you  see,"  added  Lank,  "  he 's  got 
to  be  able  to  account  for  us,  in  some  way,  in 
case  the  British  Consul  comes  back  to  the  city, 
or  some  message  comes  from  the  Sultan  or  that 
Scottish  Kaid,  McKenzie,  the  general-in-chief 

278 


A    BATTLE    IN    THE    AIR 

of  the  Sultan's  army.  He  helps  keep  things 
straight,  here  in  this  murderous  country." 

When,  after  long  delay,  Alvo,  the  crafty; 
Spanish-Moor,  came  in,  they  received  him 
coldly;  but  they  could  not  disconcert  him. 
They  had  discussed  the  matter,  and  had  de 
cided  not  to  accuse  him  outright  of  having 
tried  to  poison  them.  So  Bob  said,  when  Alvo 
pointed  to  the  food,  but  little  eaten,  and  asked 
smoothly  why  it  had  not  been  consumed,  — 
"  O,  we  did  not  care  to  eat  it,  you  can  take  it 
out."  And  the  sly  satellite  of  the  Khedive 
showed  no  surprise  at  their  action,  but  ordered 
the  slaves  to  remove  the  trays. 

The  hard  problem  faced  the  lads,  after  the 
knave's  departure,  of  what  they  were  to  do 
about  food;  they  must  eat  something,  yet  they 
feared  poison. 

Bob  Laurie  solved  it  when,  in  a  few  hours, 
Alvo  again  came  in,  followed  by  the  silent,  black 
fellows  with  two  trays,  covered  each  by  a  woven- 
straw,  cone-shaped  structure,  much  like  a  Swiss 
bee-hive,  and  each  covered  tray  placed  on  a 

279 


THE    SULTAN'S    RIVAL 

small,  low  table.  Bob  solved  the  difficulty, 
for  he  spoke  boldly  to  Alvo  and  said,  as  that 
worthy  took  off  the  covers  of  the  trays,  "  It  is 
good  food;  excellent.  You  must  eat  a  little 
with  us ;  "  and  he  pointed  to  the  meats,  - 
fairy  swimming  in  their  argan  oil,  —  and 
waited. 

For  the  first  time  in  their  acquaintance  with 
the  sly,  self-controlled  wretch  they  saw  him  lose 
his  suave,  confident,  insolent  self-assurance. 
The  request  took  him  by  surprise,  and  he  cer 
tainly  was  not  ready  to  eat  that  food ;  he  knew 
too  well  what  was  in  it. 

He  was  not  wholly  without  resources,  how 
ever.  And,  although  his  face  reddened  a  little, 
and  he  gave  a  nervous  little  cough,  he  thanked 
them  profusely,  and  laid  hold  of  one  of  the 
pigeons.  He  took  it  apart  —  it  was  very  thor 
oughly  cooked,  after  the  Moorish  custom,  and 
came  apart  easily  —  and  put  it  to  his  mouth. 
He  actually  bit  off  a  piece,  much  to  the  boys' 
surprise.  They  thought  that  he  would  decline 
to  eat ;  for  they  felt  reasonably  sure  that  the  food 

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A    BATTLE    IN    THE   AIR 

was  poisoned,  and  probably  more  thoroughly 
than  before. 

But,  in  a  moment,  the  artful  fellow's  game 
was  apparent.  He  chewed  a  little  on  the  piece, 
then  his  face  clouded,  and  he  seemed  to  be  very 
angry.  He  spat  the  morsel  of  pigeon  back  into 
the  dish  and  exclaimed,  with  an  oath,  "  That 
cook  shall  be  flogged.  The  food  is  badly 
cooked.  I  will  see  that  better  food  is  brought 
you."  And  he  hastily  ordered  the  slaves  to  take 
away  the  trays;  but  the  boys  seized  some 
oranges  which  had  been  brought  in,  and  kept 
them. 

;'  Well,  that  was  well  acted,"  exclaimed  Bob, 
as  the  door  closed ;  "  he  really  got  up  a  quite 
respectable  bluff." 

'  Yes,  but  I  'm  dreadfully  hungry,"  was 
Lank's  rejoinder ;  and  he  added,  somewhat  rue 
fully,  "  We  can't  go  on  in  this  way,  long.  This 
is  as  bad  as  being  out  on  the  desert  with  the 
Souss  Arabs." 

'  That 's  a  fact.  But  we  will  wait  a  little. 
Mark  my  words,  Lank,  we  will  not  be  left  to 

281 


THE    SULTAN'S    RIVAL 

starve.  Our  thin  bodies  would  n't  show  up 
well  if  a  demand  came  from  the  Sultan  —  yes, 
or  the  French  government  —  that  they  be 
shipped  to  Tangier  for  inspection." 

In  an  hour  or  two  Alvo  came  in  again,  pro 
fusely  apologizing,  and  the  slaves  brought  more 
dishes.  Again,  with  a  flourish,  he  offered  them 
to  the  hungry  lads,  and,  now  being  prepared 
and  on  his  guard,  he  met  their  questioning  eyes 
without  flinching.  "  O,  you  are  a  wonder !  " 
ejaculated  Bob,  under  his  breath,  and  almost 
felt  that  he  himself  must  be  guilty  of  something, 
since  Alvo  seemed  so  innocent. 

When  Bob  again  firmly  requested  him  to  eat, 
the  man  coolly  took  out  a  leg  of  a  fowl  and  bit 
into  it  with  no  hesitation.  Then  Bob  quickly 
reached  and  took  that  particular  piece  from  him 
and  said,  "  That,  evidently,  is  an  especially  good 
piece.  Now  will  you  please  to  help  yourself  to 
another  piece,  good  Alvo." 

Again  came  that  nervous  little  dry  cough 
of  the  Spanish-Moor's;  this  new  turn  in  affairs 
baffled  him  a  bit.  But  he  put  his  hand  down  a 

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A    BATTLE    IN    THE   AIR 

second  time  to  the  dish,  and  he  plucked  out  an 
other  piece,  too ;  but  he  hesitated  a  little  before 
taking  it ;  evidently  he  selected  from  the  various 
pieces.  '  Just  as  I  thought,"  was  Bob's  inward 
comment.  "  The  crafty  wretch  has  put  poison 
into  some  pieces,  and  not  into  others,  and  stands 
ready  to  eat,  but  —  ready  to  select  the  proper 
pieces."  And,  thus  reflecting,  he  again  relieved 
Alvo  of  the  morsel  he  had  just  bitten  into. 

Three  times  was  this  singular  act  repeated; 
until  Bob  and  Lank  were  supplied  with  pieces 
of  food  which  they  considered  safe.  And, 
through  it  all,  the  clever  knave  before  them,  dis 
appointed  as  he  must  have  been  at  the  failure 
of  his  scheme,  and  conscious  as  he  must  have 
been  of  their  knowledge  or  at  least  suspicion  of 
his  treachery,  —  through  it  all  he  kept  his  free 
and  his  calm  manner,  merely  saying,  "  It  is  a 
strange  way  you  have,  young  friends ;  a  custom 
of  your  country,  I  suppose." 

"  Yes,  a  custom  of  our  country,"  replied  Bob, 
with  emphasis.  "  When  there  is  need  to  exer 
cise  it." 

283 


THE    SULTAN'S    RIVAL 

Taken  altogether  the  interview  was  extremely 
constrained.  But  Bob  felt  sure  that  the  Span 
ish-Moor  would  endure  almost  any  rebuffs, 
while  he  waited  for  his  master's  secret  plans  to 
be  carried  out.  After  Alvo  had  retired,  bowing 
and  smiling,  Bob  sighed  with  relief.  "  It 's  like 
a  game  of  —  checkers,"  he  exclaimed,  "  or 
chess;  with  our  lives  as  the  stakes.  We  make 
a  move,  then  he  makes  a  move,  or  the  Khe 
dive  does ;  I  wonder  what  his  next  move  will  be ; 
and  I  wonder,  also,  if  we  will  be  able  to  meet  it. 
By  the  way,  Lank,  you  noticed  that  set  of  chess 
down  in  the  Khedive's  apartment?  " 

'  Yes,  of  course,"  answered  Lank.  "  And  I 
fairly  ached  to  get  hold  of  it." 

"Why  so?"  inquired  Bob,  with  a  little 
surprise. 

"  Simply  because  I  have  played  the  game  a 
great  deal  on  board  ship,  and  it  would  serve 
well  to  pass  the  time  here.  But  I  don't  like  to 
ask  any  favors  of  that  villainous  looking  Span 
ish-Moor.  I  say,  Bob,  how  long  is  it  since  we 
came  into  this  den?  I  observe  that  they  don't 

284 


A    BATTLE    IN    THE   AIR 

let  us  go  out  any  more,  into  the  city.  Probably 
Abraham  Chergis  is  watching  for  us,  and  is 
wondering  .  .  .  wondering  ...  if  ..." 

"  Yes,  he  is ;  just  that,"  said  Bob.  "  Wonder 
ing  if  we  are  still  alive.  But  let  me  think;  it  is 
.  .  .  one,  two,  three,  four  days,  I  believe,  since 
we  were  so  kindly  invited  in  here."  Then  they 
both  fell  into  a  gloomy  revery;  for  both  were 
conjecturing  as  to  what  had  become  of  the  mes 
senger  sent  to  the  consul  at  Saffi.  "  Had  he 
reached  that  sea-port  ?  Had  he  found  the  con 
sul,  or  any  European  of  authority  ?  Had  a  party 
started  to  rescue  them  ?  Would  they  reach  Mar- 
rakesh  and  the  strong-walled  Kasbah  before 
the  malignant  but  cautious  Khedive  would  have 
carried  out  his  murderous  program?  " 

These  were  gloomy  reflections;  for  the  lads 
were  in  desperate  straits.  But  their  revery  was 
interrupted  by  a  noisy  outcry  which  seemed  to 
come  from  the  roof  above  them. 

Instinctively  Lank  glanced  around  for 
Trump,  and  could  not  see  him;  and  at  once 
both  boys  sprang  up  the  stairway,  found  the 

285 


THE    SULTAN'S    RIVAL 

lid-like  door  to  the  roof  open,  and  stepped 
quickly  out  upon  the  roof. 

There  they  at  once  perceived  the  cause  of 
the  confused  outcries.  They  stopped  short  with 
amazement  and  consternation;  for  they  dis 
covered  Trump  and  a  stork  engaged  in  a 
vigorous  conflict.  What  had  happened  was 
this. 

Trump  had  taken  a  good-sized  piece  of  fowl 
which  Lank  had  given  him,  and,  unnoticed,  had 
flown  up  upon  the  roof,  there  to  enjoy  his  meal. 
Evidently  this  stork  —  hungry,  like  the  hun 
dreds  of  other  storks  on  the  roofs  of  the  city  — 
had  taken  notice  of  Trump's  food  and  had  flown 
over  and  tried  to  get  it  away. 

Now  Trump  was  a  bird  of  more  than  aver 
age  intelligence,  as  we  know,  and  of  a  fully  de 
veloped  sense  of  right  (at  least  of  his  own 
"  rights,"  which  is  as  far  as  many  human  beings 
go).  Accordingly  when  the  stork,  clacking  his 
great  beak,  dropped  down  on  the  flat  roof  beside 
him  and  tried  to  seize  a  piece  of  the  meat, 
Trump  addressed  some  vigorous  remarks  to 

286 


A    BATTLE   IN    THE   AIR 

him,  probably  in  several  languages,  and  fluffed 
his  feathers,  and  made  a  dive  at  the  intruder's 
head. 

The  stork  gabbled  incoherently,  —  not  being 
a  linguist,  like  Trump,  —  and  struck  at  his 
smaller  antagonist  with  his  heavy  but  unwieldy 
beak;  the  two  fluttered  about  over  the  roof, 
struggling,  in  this  fashion,  for  a  few  moments, 
and  then  Trump  flew  back  and  seized  the  morsel 
—  his  rightful  property  —  which  had  been 
dropped  during  the  fray. 

This  was  the  situation  when  our  young 
friends  entered  upon  the  scene.  And  the  stork 
had  again  attempted  to  gain  possession  of  the 
coveted  morsel,  so  that  the  two  belligerents  were 
half-hopping,  half-flying  about,  and  filling  the 
air  with  a  most  discordant  clamor. 

Again  Trump  went  at  his  big  enemy,  and 
must  have  used  his  beak  or  claws  on  him ;  for 
the  huge  fellow  uttered  a  harsh  cry,  opened  his 
capacious  beak,  and  closed  it  on  his  plucky  ad 
versary;  then  spread  his  wings  and  rose  into 
the  air,  bearing  poor  Trump  as  if  at  the  end  of 

287 


THE    SULTAN'S    RIVAL 

a  long  pair  of  tongs,  quite  helpless,  but  filling 
the  air  with  English,  French,  German  and 
Arabic  remarks. 

"  By  Jove!  "  cried  Bob  Laurie,  in  alarm  and 
distress.  "  That  dreadful  old  brute  has  got  the 
best  of  poor  Trump."  And  he  and  Lank  stood 
with  distress  on  their  faces,  and  with  every 
muscle  strained  in  eager  yet  futile  action. 

The  lads  forgot  all  their  own  woes  in  their 
alarm  for  poor  Trump's  welfare.  But  they  were 
utterly  helpless.  They  could  only  stand,  gasp 
ing,  gripping  each  other's  arm  and  shoulder, 
and  wait.  Never  a  word  did  they  speak.  Their 
dread  was  beyond  all  expression.  They  loved 
their  winged  companion  as  if  he  had  been  a 
human  being  and  a  brother;  and  they  would 
have  risked  their  lives,  then  and  there,  to  save 
him. 

The  great  stork  wheeled  about  in  the  air, 
bearing  Trump  in  a  much  ruffled  condition,  as 
if  he  had  been  a  frog.  The  other  storks,  —  a 
score  at  least  of  them,  —  on  adjacent  roofs, 
seemed  to  sense  the  mortal  nature  of  the  com- 

288 


A    BATTLE    IN    THE    AIR 

bat,  and  clacked  their  beaks  excitedly  until  it 
sounded,  to  Bob,  like  one  of  the  rooms  in  a 
cotton-mill,  at  Lowell,  Massachusetts,  where 
the  looms  clicked  and  clacked  incessantly. 

Presently  the  anxious  boys  saw  the  stork 
sweep  over  across  the  long  garden  which  lay  in 
the  depths  of  the  Kasbah  group  of  buildings, 
and  alight  upon  one  of  the  lofty  minarets  of 
the  mosque  which  stood  there. 

The  next  moment,  as  the  lads  strained  their 
eyes  to  catch  every  least  action  of  either  their 
dear  pet  or  his  huge  captor,  they  saw  the  stork 
open  his  ponderous  beak  and  drop  its  unwilling 
and  vociferous  occupant. 

Both  boys  gave  a  gasp  of  relief.  But  was  the 
parrot  uninjured  ?  Had  the  huge  halves  of  the 
stork's  beak,  like  great  iron  nippers,  closed 
tightly  enough  on  the  parrot's  body  to  break 
any  bones  ?  They  had  seen  Trump  clawing  and 
biting  at  the  beak,  as  he  was  borne  through  the 
air,  but  attacking  in  vain,  because  he  could 
reach  nothing  except  the  hard,  bony  texture 

of  the  stork's  bill. 

289 


THE    SULTAN'S    RIVAL 

The  stork  dropped  Trump,  and  the  indignant 
bird  fell  upon  the  circular  balcony  which  sur 
rounded  the  towers  near  the  summit. 

One  instant,  and  one  only,  Trump  lay  there. 
Then  he  arose  and  took  wing,  and  darted  at  the 
stork  like  a  thunderbolt.  In  his  previous  at 
tacks,  he  had  merely  been  annoyed  at  the  big 
bird's  attempt  to  rob  him;  but  now  he  was  in 
dignant,  and  madly  angry.  He  went  straight 
at  the  stork's  neck,  fastening  upon  it  and  biting 
it;  the  stork's  powerful  beak  was  no  longer  ser 
viceable  ;  and  the  bird  could  only  rise  in  the  air 
and  wildly  seek  safety  in  flight.  But  Trump, 
plying  ebony-like  beak  and  steel-like  claws, 
maintained  his  hold,  and  cut  into  that  slender 
neck  in  less  than  five  seconds.  And  the  boys 
saw  the  stork  waver  in  his  flight,  then  his 
wings  drooped,  and  he  fell  like  a  helpless  weight 
to  the  roof  of  the  mosque;  while  Trump,  emit 
ting  a  scream  that  was  like  a  paean  of  victory, 
came  plunging  straight  back  to  his  two  friends, 
and  alighted  on  his  young  master's  shoulder, 
where  he  walked  up  and  down,  restlessly,  and 

290 


A    BATTLE    IN    THE    AIR 

cracked  whips  at  the  rate  of  thirteen  to  the 
dozen. 

"  Good  boy !  Good  boy !  "  said  Lank,  smooth 
ing  the  bird's  ruffled  plumage.  "  You  did  up 
that  thief  in  fine  style,  my  lad." 

But  Bob  Laurie,  who  was  no  less  delighted 
than  was  Lank,  knew  more  about  Moroccan 
customs  than  did  his  companion.  And,  after  a 
moment  or  two  of  general  rejoicing,  he  shook 
his  head  and  said,  "  I  'm  a  bit  afraid,  Lank,  that 
Trump  may  have  gotten  us  into  an  extra  mess 
of  trouble ;  and  we  had  enough  before,  goodness 
knows.  But,  in  the  country  of  Morocco,  and 
especially  in  this  Marrakesh  [this  City  of  Mor 
occo],  the  stork  is  a  sacred  animal;  and  nobody 
ever  harms  a  stork.  If  you  will  glance  across 
at  the  mosque  you  will  see  that  Muezzin  [a 
priest]  ;  he  was  out  on  that  balcony  through  all 
the  fight,  and  is  in  turn  staring  down  at  the  dead 
stork  on  the  roof,  and  also  at  us  and  Trump. 
I  fear  we  may  have  even  greater  trouble  than 
we  have  already  had." 


291 


CHAPTER   XXIII 

A    LIFE    FOR    A    STAKE 

Trump  could  hardly  be  expected,  even  saga 
cious  as  he  was,  to  grasp  all  the  possible  results 
of  his  duel  with  the  stork.  He  was  extremely 
well  pleased  with  himself,  at  present,  and  bore 
himself  like  a  conqueror.  Presently  he  spied  the 
morsel  of  fowl  which  had  been  the  "  bone  of 
contention,"  and  at  once  settled  down  to  enjoy 
it.  The  two  boys  walked  up  and  down,  on  the 
flat  roof,  and  looked  off  longingly  at  the  open 
country  and  the  Atlas  range  in  the  distance. 

The  muezzin  had  disappeared  from  the 
minaret  balcony,  and  the  boys  were  not  sur 
prised  to  see  several  Moors,  with  ropes,  climb 
to  the  roof  of  the  mosque  and  bear  away  the 
dead  body  of  the  stork.  It  foreboded  ill  for 
our  young  friends,  and  they  looked  anxiously 
off  toward  the  west,  toward  the  coast  and  the 
fort  of  Saffi,  thinking  that  they  might  see  some 

292 


A    LIFE    FOR   A    STAKE 

signs  of  an  approaching  party,  such  as  would 
accompany  the  consul  when  he  came.  But  the 
only  human  figures  anywhere  visible  in  all  the 
great  circle  of  their  vision,  were  figures  draped 
and  hooded  in  the  Moorish  fashion;  and  Bob 
and  Lank  knew  well  that  all  such  persons  were 
probably  unfriendly,  and  could  be  actively  an 
tagonistic. 

Of  course  thoughts  of  possible  escape  were 
not  wholly  out  of  their  minds ;  but  the  distance 
to  the  ground,  on  the  only  open  side,  was  over 
forty  feet,  into  the  garden,  where  white-garbed 
figures  were  always  visible  among  the  orange 
and  lemon  trees,  servants  and  slaves,  going 
about  from  one  part  to  another  of  the  widely 
spread  Kasbah  buildings. 

In  an  hour  or  two  the  summons  came  which 
both  lads  expected,  although  they  had  not  dwelt 
upon  the  matter  in  open  speech.  Alvo  appeared 
at  the  door  in  the  roof,  beckoned  them,  and  led 
the  way  down  into  their  apartment.  Then  he 
said,  in  his  sweetest  tones,  "  My  lord  the  Khe 
dive  will  see  you  at  once;  follow  me." 

293 


THE    SULTAN'S    RIVAL 

The  boys  glanced  at  each  other.  Lank  was 
carrying  Trump,  and  knew  that  Alvo  was  en 
tirely  aware  of  the  bird's  presence  with  them, 
though  probably  he  had  not  heard  any  of 
Trump's  vocal  performances.  As  they  followed 
their  guide  along  the  narrow  stone  passage 
Lank  slipped  the  little  hood,  which  he  had  made 
for  his  pet,  over  the  parrot's  head,  and,  thus 
reducing  him  to  silence,  he  stowed  him  away  in 
an  inner  fold  of  his  voluminous  haik. 

The  Khedive  was  seated  much  as  before,  in 
the  court  with  the  splashing  fountain,  and,  in 
addition  to  the  group  of  slaves,  a  file  of  nearly 
naked  black  soldiers  stood  not  far  away,  with 
guns  and  knives.  Their  equipment  as  to  uni 
form,  and  probably  as  to  firearms,  was  not  very 
imposing,  but  the  boys  knew  that  a  keen  knife 
and  a  strong  arm,  obedient  to  the  Khedive's 
will,  would  be  enough  to  determine  their  fate. 

The  Khedive  addressed  them,  and  he  smiled 
more  than  on  their  previous  audience  with  him ; 
but  his  smile  had  something  in  it  of  evil,  of 
lurking  cruelty,  which  chilled  the  lads.  '  You 

294 


A    LIFE   FOR   A    STAKE 

have  broken  the  law  of  our  land,"  he  said,  after 
a  preface  of  hollow  compliments ;  "  and  some 
penalty  must  be  exacted.  You  know  what  I 
mean?  " 

Bob  acted  as  spokesman,  and  made  answer, 

'  I  understand  well  what  you  mean.    I  can  say 

simply  that  we  were  not  able  to  prevent  the 

stork's   death.     We   are   very   sorry    that   it 

occurred." 

"  To  be  sure,"  responded  the  Khedive,  pulling 
at  his  heavy,  black  beard  in  a  comfortable  way. 
"  But  our  law  about  the  storks  cannot  be  broken 
and  the  offender  go  unpunished.  It  was  a  pet 
bird  of  yours,  I  believe ;  a  parrot,  I  judge,  from 
what  was  told  me  ?  " 

'  Yes,  a  parrot;  a  pet;  he  is  very  dear  to  us 
both." 

:'  Has  he  been  with  you  all  the  time  since  you 
.  .  .  since  you  became  my  honored  guests  ?  " 

"  He  has,"  Bob  replied,  briefly;  he  had  made 
up  his  mind  that  words,  more  or  less,  counted 
but  little  with  this  Oriental  despot,  himself  most 
proficient  in  using  words. 

295 


THE    SULTAN'S    RIVAL 

"  My  trusted  secretary  here  [pointing  to 
Alvo,  who  stood  bowing  and  smiling  and  rub 
bing  his  hands]  did  not  inform  me  of  your 
pet's  presence  with  you ;  either  he  did  not  know 
or  he  did  not  care  to  keep  me  fully  informed." 

This  was  said  with  a  sneer,  and  was  a  hard 
thrust  at  the  Spanish-Moor,  who  became  pale, 
on  the  instant.  Evidently  he  appreciated  his 
master's  unstable  temper;  but  he  did  not 
explain. 

After  a  moment's  silence  the  Khedive  asked, 
"  Where  is  the  guilty  bird?  " 

Then  Lank  spoke.  "  Here,"  he  said,  touch 
ing  the  folds  of  his  garment. 

'  Take  him  out,"  was  the  smiling  Khedive's 
next  order ;  and  Lank  took  out  Trump,  and  held 
him  on  his  hand.  The  parrot  was  a  bit  ruffled, 
in  plumage,  after  his  scrimmage  with  the  stork; 
still,  he  was  a  handsome  fellow,  with  his  pearl 
markings  on  their  smooth  slate  ground,  and  the 
crimson  feathers  in  his  tail.  The  Khedive 
looked  at  him,  a  moment  or  two,  and  then  said, 
as  coolly  as  if  ordering  some  koitskous  for  his 

296 


A    LIFE    FOR   A    STAKE 

dinner,  "  Take  the  creature  out  into  the  garden, 
Alvo,  and  wring  his  neck." 

Bob  uttered  a  cry  of  protest.  "  O !  O,  sir, 
don't,  don't  give  that  order !  He  is  our  .  .  .  ' 

This  pain  which  he  could  give  the  boys 
seemed  to  please  the  Moor,  satiated  as  he  was 
with  emotions.  He  smiled  and  shook  his  head. 
''  It  is  the  law  of  the  country,"  he  declared. 
But  the  boys  could  see  that  he  enjoyed  enforcing 
such  a  law. 

Lank  said  nothing;  but  he  stood  up  straight 
and  stiff,  and  Bob  knew  what  was  in  his  mind. 
He  knew,  as  well  as  if  he  could  read  writing  in 
his  brave  friend's  heart,  that  he  was  deliberating 
whether  or  not  he  could  get  at  the  Khedive's 
throat  with  his  knife  before  anybody  could  stop 
him. 

Bob  knew  that,  for  he  knew  how  deep  and 
strong  was  Lank's  affection  for  his  pet;  but 
such  an  act,  even  if  it  ended  the  cruel  Moor's 
life,  would  end  only  in  the  death  of  Trump, 
Lank  and  himself. 

Then  an  idea  came  leaping  and  sparkling  into 
297 


THE   SULTAN'S   RIVAL 

the  boy's  mind,  and  he  spoke.  "  You  play  the 
game  of  chess  ? "  he  asked  the  Khedive. 

That  potentate  frowned,  but  replied  that  he 
did.  Why  did  this  young  fellow  intrude  such  a 
question  ? 

"  My  friend  here  also  plays,"  went  on  Bob, 
nervously,  eagerly. 

The  Khedive's  face  lighted  up,  and  he  nodded. 
"  It  is  a  good  game." 

"  My  friend  plays  well.  He  plays  better  than 
Moors  can  play,"  was  Bob's  next  daring  ven 
ture  ;  and  he  fairly  trembled  as  he  watched  the 
narrowing  eyes  of  the  Khedive,  and  the  sneer 
which  settled  upon  his  face  at  this  challenge  and 
almost  insult. 

But  Bob  Laurie  had  really  made  a  wise  move 
by  this  challenge,  in  the  game  which  they  were 
all  three  playing.  The  Moor  prided  himself 
upon  his  skill ;  he  always  beat  when  he  played ; 
naturally;  who  would  dare  to  play  his  best 
with  such  a  despot?  Perhaps  the  Sultan 
would ! ! ! 

"  Bring  them !  "  ordered  the  Khedive,  point- 
298 


A    LIFE    FOR   A    STAKE 

ing  to  the  chessboard  and  men ;  and  they  were 
brought;  while  Lankester  Diggles,  for  a  few 
moments,  could  not  fathom  what  Bob  was  driv 
ing  at. 

"  Now  we  play,"  announced  the  swarthy 
Moor,  with  a  genuine  smile  of  satisfaction  on 
his  face.  "  We  play,  and  that  bird  is  the  stake. 
If  you  win,  my  young  friend,  your  pet  lives;  if 
you  lose,  .  .  .  well  ..."  And  he  twisted  one 
hand  with  the  other,  in  a  wicked  fashion. 

Bob  was  startled,  yet  knew  not  whether  to 
rejoice  or  be  alarmed.  The  Moor  had  hit  upon 
the  very  plan  which  had  been  in  his  own  thought, 
and  up  to  which  he  had  been  daringly  leading. 

Lankester  drew  a  long  breath  and  seated 
himself  on  the  divan  which  was  brought  for 
him.  It  was  a  terrible  chance,  but  it  was  a 
chance,  anyway;  a  possible  saving  of  his  pet's 
life;  and  he  tried  to  recall  some  of  the  "  Open 
ings  "  and  "  Gambits,"  which  he  had  once  known 
well,  from  "  Ferguson's  Chess  Companion." 

The  boys  did  not  really  draw  full  breaths; 
they  were  shaken  with  anxiety,  and  about  half 

299 


THE    SULTAN'S    RIVAL 

confident  of  victory.  At  times  they  had  dis 
cussed  the  game,  so  much  played  by  Moors ;  and 
this  momentous  game,  now  on,  verified  the  opin 
ion  which  they  had  gained  previously.  The 
Khedive  was  a  skillful  player,  after  the  Moorish 
fashion;  that  is  to  say  he  played  a  keen  but, 
short-sighted  game ;  Moors  seem  not  to  be  able 
to  sustain,  easily,  long  trains  of  thought.  They 
play  a  good  "  head  game,"  but  never  a  good 
"  book  game  "  or  "  scientific  game."  So  the 
Khedive  moved  forward  two  pawns  with  con 
fidence,  then  promptly  brought  out  his  queen 
and  a  knight. 

Lankester  started,  at  once,  a  gambit  which 
he  knew  well,  and  then  watched  his  adversary's 
moves. 

In  a  few  minutes  Bob's  theory  was  verified. 
Both  lads  saw  that  the  Moor  was  playing  —  and 
could  alone  play  —  a  *'  head  game  " ;  he  did  not 
plan  ahead,  beyond  one  move ;  and  he  also  was 
bent  on  "  eating  up  "  his  opponent's  men,  large 
and  small,  as  fast  as  he  could. 

So  soon  as  this  became  evident,  Bob  pressed 
300 


A    LIFE    FOR   A    STAKE 

heavily  on  Lank's  foot  with  his  own,  and  drew 
a  long  breath.  He  felt  sure  that  Lank  held  his 
opponent  in  the  hollow  of  his  hand,  and  .  .  . 
Trump  was  as  good  as  saved.  Still  .  .  .  there 
might  be  mistakes  made. 

However,  it  did  go  exactly  as  Bob  had  fore 
seen  when  he  conceived  his  brilliant  idea  and 
issued  his  daring  challenge.  The  Khedive  took 
pawn  after  pawn,  and  even  a  castle  (or  rook) 
and  a  bishop ;  while  Lank  captured  not  half  so 
many.  Then  .  .  .  then  the  over-confident 
Moor  grew  suddenly  troubled.  He  paused  in 
his  prompt  eager  plays,  and  stared  hard  at  the 
chessboard. 

"  Mate !  "  said  Lank,  quietly.  And  kept  his 
own  eyes  modestly  on  the  board,  although  his 
heart  was  beating  high  with  hope. 

"  Not  yet!  "  responded  his  adversary,  after 
a  little;  and  intercepted  with  a  bishop. 

Another  move  or  two,  and  again  came  Lank's 
voice,  quietly,  "  Mate!  " 

Yes,  it  was  a  mate,  and  a  checkmate.  "  Ai- 
weh!  "  (Yes!)  cried  the  Khedive,  the  next  mo- 

301 


THE    SULTAN'S    RIVAL 

ment.  "  Aiweh!  Sheikh  mat  [Yes,  the  chief  is 
dead] ."  And  he  drew  back,  biting  his  lower  lip 
angrily,  and  called  for  tea;  which  was  soon 
presented,  and  the  three  drank  the  usual  three 
cups  each,  but  in  silence ;  for  there  was  no  very 
good  feeling  between  the  Khedive  and  his 
"  guests." 

But  the  brother  of  the  Sultan  held  to  his 
stipulation.  All  the  bystanders  had  witnessed 
his  defeat,  and  he  was  raging,  inwardly;  but 
they  had  also  heard  the  terms  of  the  game ;  and 
he  must  stand  by  them;  but  ...  he  would 
wreak  his  vengeance  in  some  more  secret  way. 
"  Go !  "  he  said,  in  a  peremptory  tone,  "  the  par 
rot  shall  live.  His  master  plays  well." 


302 


CHAPTER   XXIV 


When  the  two  friends  —  the  three  friends, 
we  might  better  say  —  stood  again  in  their  dis 
mal  apartment,  Lank  remained  for  a  while, 
silently  stroking  Trump's  ruffled  feathers.  Then 
he  remarked,  with  a  significant  grip  of  his  under 
jaw :  '  That  treacherous  Khedive  never  will 
know  what  a  close  call  he  had,  as  I  stood  there, 
after  he  had  ordered  Trump  killed." 

"  Well,  I  knew,  old  man,"  was  Bob's  soothing 
reply.  "  And  I  'm  glad  that  you  kept  your  hand 
away  from  your  knife." 

"  I  think  I  could  have  reached  him,  though," 
asserted  the  sturdy  British  lad. 

"  Perhaps  you  could ;  but  I  'm  glad  you  did  n't 
try,"  said  Bob.  "  However,  we  're  in  a  deadly 
plight,  still.  The  Khedive  will  not  leave  us 

303 


THE    SULTAN'S    RIVAL 

alone.  He  wishes  us  dead,  but  does  n't  wish  to 
seem  responsible  for  killing  us." 

"  That 's  about  the  truth  of  it,  I  'm  afraid," 
added  Lank.  Then  he  silently  paced  the  room, 
and  presently  remarked :  "  I  'm  sorry  I  ever 
saw  the  Khedive  in  London;  I  don't  think  he 
knows  me;  he  saw  so  many  new  faces  during 
that  visit ;  and  I  am  tanned  to  a  pretty  swarthy 
hue,  now.  Then,  as  to  the  whole  venture  on  the 
Saucy  Kate,  I  'm  afraid,  Bob,  I  made  a  big  mis 
take  in  shipping  on  her." 

"  Right  you  are,"  laughed  Bob.  "  But  it 's 
no  use  in  crying  over  spilt  milk.  I  'm  sure  I 
did  n't  choose  that  cruise  for  myself,  but  here 
we  are;  and  the  question  is,  can  we  get  out  of 
this  mess  alive?  " 

"  Mess !  Mess !  What  a  mess !  "  cried  Trump, 
rousing  to  the  conversation.  Then  he  relapsed 
into  sundry  mutterings,  and  was  doubtless  fight 
ing  his  aerial  battle  over  again. 

When  Alvo  appeared  with  the  next  meal, 
his  movements  were  as  sinuous  as  ever,  his  smile 
as  fixed  as  though  it  had  been  printed  on  his 

304 


FATE   OF  THE   SULTAN'S   RIVAL 

face,  and  his  voice  was  even  more  honeyed  than 
usual,  if  that  were  possible. 

Bob,  as  he  looked  at  the  man,  groaned  within 
himself.  "  It  means  evil  for  us,"  he  soliloquized. 
'  There  is  something  on  foot.  O,  I  hope  that 
the  messenger  of  Abraham  Chergis  will  bring 
that  consul  soon.  I  wonder  what  that  slippery 
wretch  of  a  Khedive  is  planning." 

They  both  found  out  what  the  Khedive  was 
planning,  before  twelve  hours  more  had  passed. 

That  night  they  lay  down  upon  their  divans 
and  sought  to  sleep.  Bob  had  tried  the  roof- 
door,  with  some  faint  notion  that  he  and  Lank, 
on  the  roof,  above,  at  night,  if  the  night  were 
quite  dark,  might  possibly  get  to  some  adjoin 
ing  roof  and  find  a  way  of  escape;  but  they 
discovered  that  the  door  was  fastened,  by  some 
unknown  person,  each  evening,  and  was  un 
fastened  in  the  morning.  So  there  was  no  hope 
in  that  direction. 

As  they  stretched  themselves  out  they  men 
tioned  Sjit,  the  house-snake,  but  found  that  they 
feared  him  but  little,  although  Lank  was  a  little 

305 


THE    SULTAN'S    RIVAL1 

uneasy  sometimes  about  Trump's  safety,  with 
such  a  hungry  ophidian  gliding  about. 

At  length,  after  considerable  conversation,  — 
which,   in  these   days  drifted   frequently  and 
sadly  toward  England  and  the  United  States,  - 
they  relapsed  into  slumber. 

Since  they  had  been  the  unwilling  guests  of 
the  scheming  unscrupulous  Khedive  they  had 
recovered,  in  some  measure,  their  health  and 
strength;  their  food  had  been  abundant,  but 
they  had  been  obliged  to  continue  the  same  pre 
cautions  which  Bob  had  instituted.  And  their 
sleep  was  usually  deep  and  restful.  On  this 
particular  night,  which  happened  to  be  a  bright 
moonlight  night,  Bob  had  been  dreaming 
about  home,  —  about  a  foot-ball  game  in  which 
he  had  played,  where  the  ball  had  been  passed 
to  him  and  he  tried  to  run;  he  tried  and  tried, 
and  could  barely  drag  one  foot  after  the  other; 
then  the  excited  quarter-back,  in  a  hoarse  voice, 
cried,  "  Dodge  Smith,  and  keep  to  the  right !  " 
And  he  had  tried  to  comply  but  could  barely 
lift  his  laggard  feet.  Then  the  quarter-back 

306 


FATE   OF  THE   SULTAN'S   RIVAL 

(Newell,  his  dormitory  neighbor)  began  to 
make  queer  sounds  and  to  talk  in  Arabic.  What 
.  .  .  what  was  it  ..."  Bismillah,  la !  la !  la ! 
Bismillah!  "  (In  Allah's  name,  no!  no!  no!  In 
Allah's  name!) 

That  was  strong  talk  from  Newell,  who  found 
the  conjugation  in  the  Latin  grammar  a  serious 
barrier  to  his  college  ambitions.  What  could 
possibly  be  ... 

This  was  substantially  the  explanation ;  as  the 
lads  figured  it  out,  afterward. 

Somewhere  near  midnight,  when  the  moon 
was  directly  overhead,  and  sent  a  plenty  of 
light  down  through  the  grated  aperture  in  the 
roof,  one  of  the  several  doors  opening  into  the 
apartment  slowly  opened,  and  a  smooth,  swarthy 
face  peered  in ;  a  pause  then,  and  listening,  and 
the  man,  wholly  naked,  crept  softly  into  the 
room.  He  carried  a  bare  knife  in  his  teeth,  and 
it  glittered  like  an  evil  thing  in  the  white  moon 
light.  Across  the  room  he  crept,  even  more 
silently  than  scaly  Sjit  could  have  done  it.  Al 
ways  keeping  close  to  the  stone  floor,  he  came 

3°7 


THE    SULTAN'S    RIVAL 

nearer  and  nearer  to  the  unsuspecting  sleepers ; 
his  naked  feet  and  knees  and  hands  were  abso 
lutely  noiseless  on  the  level  floor. 

For  a  moment  he  paused,  when  close  to 
the  lads,  and  listened,  then  half  stood  up  and 
surveyed  them.  Why?  Because  he  wished  to 
strike,  first,  the  one  who  was  the  stronger,  thus 
leaving  the  less  effective  one  for  further  attack, 
when  perhaps  partially  aroused  by  the  possible 
struggle  of  the  first  one. 

Lank  was  the  taller,  as  the  naked,  noiseless 
midnight  assassin  could  see  by  the  strong 
moonlight;  and,  in  a  moment,  he  crept  nearer 
to  the  lad.  Then  he  took  the  glittering  blade 
(a  deadly  Koomia)  from  between  his  teeth,  and 
drew  back  his  arm  and  hand  for  the  blow. 

Only  one  second  more  was  needed  to  bury 
the  dagger  to  the  hilt  in  the  motionless  form  of 
the  British  lad.  But  one  second  was  enough 
to  bring  a  halt  in  the  deadly  drama. 

From  out  the  carved  chest  with  the  deep 
drawer  came  a  voice;  a  strong,  commanding 
voice;  such  as  the  gray  African  parrot,  among 

308 


FATE   OF  THE   SULTAN'S   RIVAL 

all  parrots,  possesses.  And  it  called  out,  in  a 
voice  of  solemn  condemnation,  "  La!  la!  Bis- 
millah,  la!"  (No!  No!  In  the  name  of 
Allah,  no!) 

That  was  the  voice  which  Bob  heard  in  his 
dream,  as  uttered  by  the  excited  quarter-back ; 
and  it  awakened  him,  as  it  also  awakened  Lank, 
lying  there  helpless  beneath  the  murderous 
blade. 

It  did  this  much  for  our  friends;  but  if  it 
had  not  done  more  than  this  the  poised  blow 
could  have  been  dealt,  and  a  human  life  yielded 
up  to  the  Khedive's  hate.  But  that  voice,  sonor 
ous  and  with  authority,  issuing  from  the  small 
piece  of  furniture,  —  much  too  small  to  conceal 
a  human  form,  —  carried  with  it  only  one 
meaning  to  the  superstitious  Moor  who  held 
the  threatening  knife.  It  came  to  him  as  the 
voice  of  a  djinn  (a  spirit) ;  and  disobedience 
to  it  he  was  sure  would  bring  vengeance  on 
himself. 

The  man  gasped,  glanced  at  the  chest,  with  a 
terrified  expression,  lowered  his  arm,  and  .  .  . 

309 


THE    SULTAN'S    RIVAL 

The  next  instant  Lankester  Diggles  had  one 
hand  tightening  upon  his  throat  and  the  other 
fastened  upon  his  wrist ;  easily  he  bore  the  now 
terrified  man  backward ;  and  the  two  struggled, 
—  though  not  fiercely,  for  the  superstitious 
Moor  was  too  much  frightened,  —  and  Lank 
speedily  held  the  knife  in  his  possession, 
and  knelt  upon  the  breast  of  the  would-be- 
murderer. 

By  this  time  Bob  Laurie  was  in  the  fray,  and 
there  was  now  not  a  ghost  of  a  chance  of  the 
man's  doing  any  harm  to  them.  For  a  moment 
there  was  quiet,  and  Bob  said,  "  I  know  what 
saved  us." 

"  Several  things  helped  that  end,  it  seems  to 
me,"  responded  Lank. 

"  Yes,  but  the  starter  was  dear  old  Trump, 
there  in  the  drawer,"  and  as  he  spoke,  the  lad 
went  over  and  pulled  open  the  drawer,  thus 
allowing  its  remarkable  occupant  to  issue ;  which 
he  did,  with  sundry  slight  whip-crackings,  and 
flew  to  his  master's  shoulder,  and  pecked  play 
fully  at  his  neck. 

310 


FATE   OF   THE   SULTAN'S   RIVAL 

Then  Bob,  in  a  word,  narrated  his  dream; 
and,  next,  he  tore  off  a  strip  of  cloth  from  his 
long,  loose  garment;  with  this  they  bound  the 
now  trembling  wretch;  and,  leaving  him  upon 
the  floor,  they  walked  about,  and  discussed  their 
next  move  in  this  deadly  game  for  life. 

There  was  only  one  thing  to  do.  There  was 
no  use  in  accusing  Alvo  of  responsibility  for  the 
attempt ;  he  would  cunningly  evade  all  charges ; 
and  the  Khedive  would  probably  not  give  the 
accusers  an  audience;  he,  of  course,  was  the 
real  instigator,  as  they  knew. 

Only  a  few  minutes  were  needed  to  bring 
them  to  their  decision.  They  ordered  the  wretch 
to  his  feet,  led  him  to  the  door  where  he  had 
entered,  —  it  still  stood  open,  —  and  sent  him, 
bound  as  he  was,  out  into  the  winding  passages 
of  the  Kasbah.  He  would  find  his  way,  well 
enough. 

If,  for  an  instant,  either  of  the  lads  harbored 
the  notion  that  they  might  escape,  this  door 
being  open,  the  idea  was  speedily  dismissed; 
for  both  knew  that  the  Kasbah  was  full  of  ser- 

311 


THE    SULTAN'S    RIVAL 

vants  and  slaves,  usually  armed,  and  sleeping 
or  dozing  or  on  watch  in  the  many  nooks  and 
corners  of  the  great  group  of  buildings  where 
strangers,  like  themselves,  could  not  possibly 
find  their  way. 

There  was  but  little  sound  sleep  for  the  lads 
throughout  the  remainder  of  the  night.  They 
had  been  too  rudely  startled  and  deeply  stirred 
to  be  able  to  sink  again  into  restful  sleep.  And 
they  longed  and  hoped  for  the  success  of  the 
messenger  who  was  to  inform  the  consul  and 
bring  a  rescuing  party. 

The  next  day,  when  smooth-tongued  Alvo 
entered,  he  had  the  calm  assurance  to  inquire 
if  they  had  slept  well;  to  which  audacious  in 
quiry  our  young  friends  would  not  condescend 
to  reply.  But,  in  a  characteristic  way,  Alvo  or 
his  master  evinced  a  desire  to  ward  off  any 
accusation  of  guilt ;  the  lads  were  smilingly  told 
by  the  Spanish-Moor  that  the  Khedive  would 
gladly  grant  to  his  guests  the  privilege  of  seeing 
more  of  the  sights  of  the  city. 

In  accordance  with  this  concession  Bob  and 
312 


FATE   OF  THE   SULTAN'S   RIVAL 

Lank  found  themselves,  an  hour  later,  walking 
the  narrow  streets  of  Marrakesh  and  trying  to 
become  interested  in  the  strange  sights  around 
them.  But  Bob  was  eagerly  watchful,  every 
moment,  hoping  to  get  sight  of  the  aged  Jew, 
Abraham  Chergis,  whom,  as  Sabalrs  friend,  the 
lads  implicitly  trusted. 

The  usual  body-guard  of  two  Moors  —  in  ad 
dition  to  Alvo  —  kept  near  them,  as  on  their 
previous  excursion  through  the  streets.  Bob 
concealed  the  eager  roving  of  his  eyes  as  well 
as  he  could;  but  he  could  not  help  starting, 
breathless,  as  he  suddenly  descried,  a  hundred 
yards  in  advance  of  the  party,  among  the  scores 
of  turbaned  and  white-robed  figures,  the  face 
of  Abraham  Chergis.  There  could  be  no  cloubt 
of  it;  for  that  shrewd  ally  now  laid  his  fore 
finger  first  on  one  side  of  his  nose  and  then  on 
the  other;  Bob  could  catch  sight  of  the  signal, 
among  the  heads  of  the  moving  throngs;  and 
he  answered  the  signal,  cautiously. 

Then  he  saw  Abraham  put  one  hand  up 
against  the  wall  near  which  he  stood ;  and,  hold- 


THE    SULTAN'S    RIVAL 

ing  it  there,  one  brief  instant,  glance  at  it,  and 
then  at  Bob. 

Bob  guessed,  at  once,  the  ruse,  and  nodded 
his  head  as  a  sign  to  Abraham  that  he  under 
stood.  He  felt  sure  that  when  he  reached  that 
spot  he  would  find  a  note,  a  message,  pushed 
into  some  crack  of  that  wall. 

And  so  it  proved.  By  easy  stages  Bob  strolled 
on,  Alvo  allowing  him  to  direct  the  route  of  their 
excursion;  and  when  he  reached  the  vicinity 
of  the  spot  where  the  Jew  had  been  standing,  he 
cautiously  scrutinized  the  wall  there  erected. 
In  less  than  five  seconds  he  saw  a  tiny  scrap 
of  paper  projecting  from  a  crack  between  two 
stones  of  the  wall.  Then,  backing  toward  it, 
he  waited  for  a  favorable  instant. 

That  instant  came.  Two  men  —  presumably 
Jews  —  got  into  an  altercation  across  the  street, 
and  raised  their  voices  and  their  staves  in 
great  apparent  wrath  with  each  other.  In  a 
second,  as  all  eyes  were  turned  toward  the 
angry  disputants,  Bob  snatched  the  scrap  of 
paper  out  of  the  crack,  and  concealed  it  under 


FATE   OF   THE   SULTAN'S   RIVAL 

his  loose  garments.  Then  the  quarreling  sud 
denly  subsided.  And  Bob  Laurie  knew  that 
this  dispute  —  like  the  one  on  their  previous 
walk  through  the  streets — was  "faked"  for 
his  and  Lank's  benefit. 

But  how  to  proceed?  How  to  read  the 
message  ? 

He  started  to  inform  Lank,  in  low  casual 
tones,  of  what  had  been  going  on  "  under  his 
very  nose,"  so  to  speak;  and  he  was  a  bit  sur 
prised  to  have  that  keen-eyed  British  lad  cut 
him  short.  '''  I  've  seen  the  whole  thing,  Bob. 
Now,  how  to  read  it  ?  " 

Both  boys  reflected  earnestly  and  anxiously, 
although  outwardly  feigning  to  observe  the  con 
tents  of  bazaars  and  the  faces  of  passers-by. 
Presently  they  agreed.  "  I  '11  take  it  out  openly, 
and  read  it,  and  hand  it  to  you,"  said  Bob,  which 
he  at  once  proceeded  to  do. 

And  this  was  really  the  safest  way;  it  did 
not  arouse  any  particular  suspicion  on  Alvo's 
part.  But  as  Bob  read  it  his  heart  sank 
within  him.  It  said  briefly, 


THE    SULTAN'S    RIVAL 

"  To  Sabah's  young  friends,  —  Messenger  waylaid, 
beaten;  messenger  returned  empty.  Patience.  Other 
help.  If  .  .  .  ' 

There  it  stopped  short.  Evidently  the  mes 
sage  had  been  written  hurriedly,  and  the  writer 
had  stopped  before  he  intended  to.  But  the 
general  purport  of  the  information  was  easy 
to  gather,  and  both  our  young  friends  felt  their 
hearts  sink  with  disappointment,  and  with  ap 
prehension  as  to  their  fate. 

Bob  took  the  scrap  of  paper  as  if  it  were  of 
no  especial  value,  and  drew  it  beneath  his  large, 
loose  haik;  there  he  tore  it  carefully  into  small 
pieces,  letting  these  pieces  drop,  one  or  two  at  a 
time,  as  they  walked  on. 

The  lads  found  it  hard  to  keep  up  any  show  of 
interest  in  the  shops  and  the  street-scenes ;  they 
even  took  but  little  notice  of  the  scowling  faces 
of  fanatical  Moors  who  looked  at  them  with 
hate  and  spat  toward  them.  But  .  .  . 

Suddenly  they  heard  the  firm,  metallic  strains 
of  a  cornet.  It  seemed  far  away;  but  such 
instruments  are  not  much  used  or  well  played 


FATE   OF  THE   SULTAN'S   RIVAL 

by  natives  of  Morocco.  The  lads  listened  in 
tently;  the  sounds  came  nearer.  "  O  Lank,"  ex 
claimed  Bob,  hardly  crediting  his  ears;  "  O 
Lank,  I  believe  that  horn  is  playing  '  America  ' 
or  what  you  call  '  God  save  the  king ! '  Yes,  by 
Jove,  it  is." 

Alvo  had  now  heard  the  novel  sounds.  Other 
brass  instruments  joined  in  with  the  cornet,  and 
the  band  played  "  Annie  Laurie."  "  O  Lank," 
cried  Bob,  nearly  wild  with  eagerness  and 
hope,  "  that  must  be  Englishmen  playing.  And 
if  —  " 

Here  Alvo  suddenly  showed  anxiety,  and 
ordered  them  to  follow  him ;  and  the  two  guards 
promptly  closed  up  near  them.  The  streets  were 
now  filling  with  curious  people,  all  rushing  to 
see  what  was  coming.  The  crowd  increased  so 
rapidly  that  Alvo  could  make  but  little  headway 
against  it,  despite  his  commands  and  threats. 
The  boys  and  their  party  were  now  swept  along 
toward  a  small  sok  (market-place)  across  which 
a  procession  could  be  seen  marching. 

This  procession  was  led  by  a  troop  of  Moor- 


THE    SULTAN'S    RIVAL 

ish  horsemen  in  brilliant  red  uniforms,  and 
mounted  on  superb  white  horses.  A  white- 
bearded  Moor  with  a  white  turban  and  a  rose- 
colored  caftan  rode  at  their  head.  Then  came 
a  body  of  foot-soldiers  —  a  motley  company 
—  in  scarlet  gowns  and  with  bare  legs  and 
yellow  slippers,  each  gallant  warrior  bearing 
a  musket. 

After  these  somewhat  unkempt  troops,  came 
some  trim-looking  spearmen  on  riding-camels; 
and  —  strangest  of  all  —  among  them  strode  a 
large  camel,  bearing  a  huge  cage  made  of  wood 
with  iron  bars,  and  in  the  cage  —  like  a  captive 
lion  in  a  circus  procession — rode  a  man;  an 
Arab,  seemingly;  and  the  people  as  they  saw 
him  passed  the  word  one  to  another,  "  Khain 
Amara  GJiashim!  Khain  Amara  Ghashim!" 
(Amara,  the  stupid  rebel!) 

Then  Bob  caught  the  meaning  of  the  sit 
uation.  "See  here,  Lank!"  he  exclaimed; 
"  that 's  Amara,  the  Souss  Arab  Sheikh,  who 
was  in  league  with  the  Khedive." 

"  As  sure  as  you  're  alive,"  was  Lank's  re- 


FATE   OF  THE   SULTAN'S   RIVAL 

joinder,  as  he  stared  hard  at  the  parti-colored 
procession. 

"  He  does  'nt  look  happy,  Amara  does  n't," 
commented  Bob.  "  No  wonder !  He  's  as  good 
as  dead,  now.  But  who  can  have  captured 
him?  Not  the  Khedive,  of  course;  it  must 
be-  O!  — " 

What  caused  this  exclamation  of  Bob's  was 
the  sight  which  he  now  caught  of  a  tall,  erect 
figure  in  Khaki,  with  a  veritable  English  pith- 
helmet  on  his  head.  He  rode  upon  a  magnificent 
gray  horse  and  was  certainly  the  commander  of 
the  whole  procession  of  soldiery. 

Then  Lank  cried  out ;  a  cry,  almost  a  groan, 
of  wonder  and  of  despair.  "  Bob !  Bob  Laurie ! 
Heaven  help  me,  but  that  is  an  Englishman,  or 
a  Scotsman.  His  features  are  —  ' 

Bob  felt  himself  almost  reeling  with  excite 
ment.  He  understood  a  great  deal  in  a  second's 
time.  "  Lank,"  he  responded,  "  as  I  live,  I  be 
lieve  it  is  the  Scottish  Kaid,  who  acts  as  general- 
in-chief  over  the  Sultan's  forces.  It  must  be. 
O,  if  only  we  could  make  him  hear  —  " 


THE    SULTAN'S    RIVAL 

But  the  noisy  band  was  playing  triumphantly, 
and  a  human  voice  could  avail  but  little  against 
the  clangor.  "  Lank,"  exclaimed  our  young 
American  lad,  hoarsely,  for  he  was  desperate 
in  his  great  hope  and  longing  for  liberty  and 
life,  "  Lank,  we  must  fight  for  it.  It  is  our  one 
chance.  We  have  our  knives.  Lank,  out  with 
your  knife,  --  I  have  mine  in  my  hand,  —  and 
push  through  the  crowd.  Quick!  Now  is  our 
one  chance." 

It  was  a  desperate  course,  but  it  was  indeed 
their  only  one.  Both  saw  it  to  be  such.  And  the 
next  instant  out  came  both  knives,  bare  and 
flashing  in  the  hot  sun-rays,  and  the  lads  sprang 
forward,  pushing  their  way  through  the  crowd. 

Of  course  Alvo's  cunning  eyes  were  upon  his 
charges,  and  he  promptly  sprang  after  them. 
He  did  not  see  the  gleaming  blade  in  Lankester 
Diggles's  strong  right  hand,  else  he  would  not 
have  clutched  that  resolute  young  Britisher  by 
the  shoulder.  He  grasped  Lank's  left  shoulder 
and  Lank  swiftly  swung  with  his  right  arm. 
and  like  a  flash  of  light  his  keen  koomia  struck 

320 


FATE   OF  THE   SULTAN'S   RIVAL 

deeply  into  the  Spanish-Moor's  neck,  and  the  de 
ceitful,  cruel  wretch  pitched  in  a  heap  to  the 
ground. 

On !  On !  The  lads  tore  their  breathless  way 
through  the  crowd.  Lank  was  somewhat  im 
peded  by  his  pet,  and  let  Bob  lead  the  way.  No 
body  really  tried  to  stop  them.  The  people  were 
absorbed  in  the  spectacle  of  the  captive  Arab 
Sheikh;  and  a  few  moments  only  were  needed 
-  a  few  terrible  moments  of  strain  and  fierce 
determination  —  to  bring  the  boys  close  enough 
to  the  Kaid  to  make  their  English  speech  heard 
by  him. 

In  one  instant,  as  Kaid  McKenzie  perceived 
these  strange  figures  leaping  toward  him,  with 
knives  in  their  hands,  he  reached  for  a  revolver 
which  he  carried  in  his  belt. 

Lucky  it  was  that  Bob  and  Lank  shouted  out 
to  him,  in  good,  clear  English  as  they  did.  One 
more  second's  delay  and  they  might  have  had  a 
bullet  each  in  his  body.  "  Kaid  McKenzie !  we 
are  English!  We  are  English;  captured  and 
held  by  the  Khedive !  " 

321 


THE    SULTAN'S    RIVAL 

That  was  enough.  The  plainly-spoken  Eng 
lish  words  relieved  the  Kaid's  distrust,  and  he 
replied  to  them,  and  became  at  once  their  kindly 
listener,  as  they  walked  beside  his  gray  charger 
and  hurriedly  told  their  story. 

That  was  the  beginning  of  the  end.  It  not 
only  opened  a  door  of  hope,  but  it  flung  wide  a 
portal  of  safety.  Kaid  McKenzie's  name  was  a 
power  in  all  Morocco.  And  he  was  even  then 
—  having  out-generaled  the  Khedive's  fellow- 
conspirator,  Mohammed  Amara,  the  Souss 
Sheikh  —  in  search  of  the  plotting  Khedive 
himself. 

But  he  seemed  in  no  very  great  haste,  and 
when  our  young  friends  entered,  with  him,  the 
grim  Kasbah,  and  found  it  well-nigh  deserted, 
they  wondered  that  the  Kaid  had  not  more 
shrewdly  planned  to  capture  the  recreant  Khe 
dive.  But  that  sagacious  commander  said  to 
Bob :  "  The  Khedive  is  the  Sultan's  brother ;  the 
Sultan's  rival,  you  understand,  but  his  own 
brother ;  and  the  Sultan  really  cares  a  goo'd  bit 
for  him.  And  I  know  that  although  the  Sultan 

322 


FATE   OF   THE   SULTAN'S   RIVAL 

ordered  me,  in  public,  to  bring  back  his  brother, 
dead  or  alive,  he  will  really  be  better  pleased  — 
with  me  and  with  himself  —  if  I  report  to  him 
that  the  Khedive  slipped  away  unharmed.  Be 
assured  that  the  Khedive  has  learned  a  lesson 
from  his  narrow  escape,  and  will  not  try  this 
thing  on  again.  But  come,  I  must  send  you  at 
once,  under  escort,  to  Saffi.  In  three  days  both 
of  you  shall  be  on  board  a  steamer  bound  for 
Gibraltar." 


END 


UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA   LIBRARY 

Los  Angeles 

This  book  is  1)1  E  on  the  last  date  stamped  below 




APR  2  8 1975 


J6W?5 


Form  L'J-Series  444 


A     000138719 


